A Triangle Between Friends
by Firefly Rebirth
Summary: [Complete! Thanks everyone!] Cremia, now living alone at the ranch, recounts the tale of her youth to the hero we know and love... The love triangle between Anju, Kafei, and Cremia hinted at in the game...
1. Introduction

            The needles clicked together happily.  The young woman who knitted, however, was not happy at all.  She sat alone in the empty house.

            There was no apparent reason for her to be sad, nor was there one to cause her to be alone.  But outward reasons, as they often are, were of little consequence.

            She was a beautiful woman in her mid twenties, with shoulder length auburn hair and eyes of cerulean.  Once, these gems had sparkled.  Once.

            Her name was Cremia.  She was used to surviving with little or no assistance.  Over a decade ago, she had lost her father and had taken charge of Romani Ranch, named for her mother and the namesake of her little sister.  Little Romani had only seven years of life behind her at that point.  Cremia had been alone.

            Now, fifteen years later, Cremia was completely on her own.  Romani had give up a dull life of ranch duty for the hustle and bustle of the distant Clock Town.  Romani had a lot of silly dreams in her head, but she was becoming more of a lady (at twenty, it was well past time!) and had become focused on her search for a husband.

            "I shall not find a man on this ranch," she had pronounced in her new, sophisticated tone.

            "I agree," said Cremia then, having not met many eligible men herself.  But did she care to?  She wasn't sure.

            So Cremia had urged her younger sister on.  Romani had said that they should sell the ranch and both move to Clock Town.  Cremia, of course, objected.

            "I will not sell this place that Mother and Father founded—where I've spent my life, Romani!" Cremia had proclaimed.  She softened a bit afterward, saying, "It is all right.  The ranch is…all I know.  You have fun now, all right?"

            And that is how a beautiful young woman came to be all alone.  But is that everything?

            I should think not.


	2. Prologue

- - - - - - - 

            Cremia was still clicking away at her knitting an hour later.  The only other sound was the loud blustering of the blizzard.  Yes, it was indeed snowing outside, for it was winter.

            She surveyed the scarf dully.  It was a deep, foresty green.  Not her color at all!  She looked much better in something blue, cream, yellow, or even peach.

            But not green.  Then why had she dyed her wool yarn this color?  Why had she spent the past few evenings at work on it?  Now she had a long scarf of six feet or more, tightly knit and of fine, thick wool yarn—but no one to wear it.

            In a huff at her own silliness (for silliness it was to a practical woman like Cremia), she hurriedly finished up the blasted thing and threw it, along with her needles, to the corner.  The metal tools made quite a commotion on the hard wooden floor, clicking and clacking to a stop atop the softness of the scarf.

            Just then, there was a thumping at the door.

            No, couldn't be.

            The sound came again.

            Cremia hesitated before getting up to go answer it.  She imagined she must be hearing things.  A visitor had not set foot on Romani Ranch since the ground froze over a month ago.  To top that off, there was a blizzard!  Still, she made quickly for the front of her home.

            She reached for the handle.  She stopped.  Suddenly and wildly, strange ideas raced across Cremia's mind.  She could remember Romani's horrific tales about 'Them'.  On a night like this, only aliens _would_ be out…

            "Those are just nonsense," she told herself firmly, taking hold of the rusted old knob.  Biting her lip, she rotated her sweaty palm.  When she still couldn't open the door, the woman thought, _Living alone has spoiled your mind!  Just…  open… it—_

            Magically, or so it seemed, the thing finally came open.  Cremia stepped back a little.

            In the flickering candlelight of the background, a tall, hooded figure was visible.  From the height, it was probably a man.

            _At least it's not an alien_, Cremia could think, but she couldn't speak.  What if it was some weirdo who would rape her, kill her, and steal everything she owned?  One could never be too careful these days.

            He coughed.

            Well, even if it did happen to be a killer, Cremia had to feel sorry for him.  He _was_ standing in the fiercely blowing wind and snow.  Besides that, a lot of snow and cold was coming inside as well.

            "Won't you come in?" she finally got out.  She had to fight to get the door shut after; the wind was a nasty foe.

            "Thank you," he said.  His voice was deep and serious, but quiet.  "Mighty cold out there."

            "Oh, indeed," she replied, nervously shifting her weight about.  He didn't really _seem_ like a rapist somehow, but he was rather dark all the same.

            There was an uncomfortably long and silent pause.

            "Um, er, might I take your cloak?"  She had all but forgotten about being a proper hostess!

            "Oh, yes," he said to her, lifting off the bulky hood to reveal a handsome face.  He had hair of blond-orange, eyes like crystalline seas, and tan features of utter seriousness.

            Cremia practically jumped.  She knew that expression!  The coloring, the intent eyes…  "Ten years ago," she mumbled, not noticing she spoke aloud.

            "Cremia of Romani Ranch, correct?"

            She nodded vigorously.  "And you—that boy—"

            "Link, plain and simple.  Nothing more; nothing less."  He bowed.  "I have come to pay you a visit, Miss Cremia."

            The woman could only smile a little, nervously looking the man up and down.

            He shivered slightly.

            "Ooh!" she let out.  "Oh, forgive me, Sir Link!"  She motioned him to the table.  "I'll put the kettle on and fix you some warm brew," she announced, picking up the thing and pumping water into it from her sink.  After it was over the fire, she retreated to her pantry and located a few glass jars.

            "What's this?" Link inquired, staring as they were set upon the table.

            "What kind of stew do you like?"  Cremia began to twist open the containers of stored vegetables.

            "Stew?"

            She halted in mid-twist.  "What, you don't care for stew?"

            He shook his head.  "No; I love it.  Any kind."

            "Good."  She abandoned the now opened jars to retrieve a few strips of dried meat, which she chopped into bite-sized chunks soon afterward.

            Link attempted to get a few words in, but Cremia was too flustered until he finally had a warm cup of spiced tea down his throat and the stew was bubbling over the crackling fire.

            At his point, they both took a sip from steaming mugs.  Link rested his tired elbows on the table, while Cremia leaned hard against the back of her chair.

            "Hey," Link said, so quietly Cremia wondered if she had imagined it.

            "Yes?"

            "You called me 'Sir', earlier.  'Sir Link.'"

            "I believe I did, yes."  What was he talking about?

            "Yeah," he said, staring deeply into the liquid before him.  "Thought so…"

            "So?"

            "Please don't call me that twice."

            "As you wish it, then.  But why?  You deserve to be called that.  You saved our world!"

            "Deserve," he repeated softly.  "Saved…  Heh, I'm not so sure," he mused, more to himself than to her.  Link raised his head, only a little.  "Just the same, I'm still Link.  Like I said before, I am Link.  Plain Link."

            "You make yourself sound as dull as me," replied Cremia on her way to check the stew.  It would be a while yet.

            "It's all right."  He pulled off his tight-fitting emerald cap.  His hair fell down to scrape his shoulder blades.

            Cremia blushed.  She had not realized that his hair was not short, nor how attractive it looked long.  "Um, anyway…  Could I ask how you got all the way out here—and maybe _why_, in such a fierce blizzard?"

            "How?  Simple.  I walked."  He took a few seconds to down some more tea.  "Why?  Well…  I'm not quite sure.  I came to Termina to see how things were doing a few days ago.  I wanted to know what happened to my old…friends.  I saw Romani in Clock Town, and she said you were still here."

            "Romani.  How is my sister doing, by the way?"

            He seemed a bit puzzled at his inquiry, but offered a reply nonetheless.  "I met her at a party at the Stock Pot Inn.  I had the pleasure of seeing many people there, actually.  Romani?  She seemed quite well.  Very different than she was ten years ago, all dressed up and all, you know."

            "Hmm," Cremia mumbled.  _Well on her search for a husband_, she thought, but didn't care to vocalize the words.  But she realized that Link had come all the way to see her, through the snow and everything else.  "I am flattered you would come here, S—Link."

            He gave a nod.  "No trouble, really.  I am surprised about you, though, Cremia; I imagined you to be a wife and mother by now."

            To this, she violently shook her head.  "Not me."

            He gave her a rather strange frown.  "Don't be offended.  Really, you must be a strong person to live here all alone."

            She scoffed, "I suppose so," and said not a word more.

            "Well, _I_ suppose neither of us knows what to do with a compliment."  Link shook out his long hair.  "I must admit, he began, sailing swiftly to another topic, "it is fantastic to be warming up after being out in that blizzard.  It began when I was halfway here, so I didn't want to turn back."

            Cremia wandered over to give the pot a stir.  "It has a long while yet," she explained.  "I should've thought to make soup instead."

            "I'm not particularly hungry," he assured her, "and that stew, I'm sure, will be well worth any wait."  He stared down at his empty cup.

            Cremia soon gave him a refill.  "We have plenty of time to talk, then."

            "Indeed."

            "What should we talk about?"

            He shrugged.  "I honestly don't talk much."

            "Neither do I."

            He thought a minute.  "Honestly, we don't know each other very well, do we?"

            "I only saw you for a few days."

            "Perhaps we should talk about ourselves, then, hm?"

            She made a face.  "I don't enjoy talking about myself—not that there is much to tell, mind you."

            "Enough with the self-deprecation.  I think I might like to hear more about you.  About why you prefer to live by yourself, maybe."

            "Who said I preferred it?" she snapped.  Her eyes widened and her voice softened.  "Forgive me.  I said I wasn't good with talking, didn't I?"

            "Forgive _me_, lady," Link told her earnestly.  "But please.  Tell me a story.  IT has been so long since I heard an honest one."

            "Fine," she agreed.  "What about?"

            "Oh, anything," he said.  "About…your childhood or something?"

            Her eyes suddenly and momentarily relented their perpetual dullness and sparkled.  "Childhood…"

            "Hmm?"

            "Very well, Link," Cremia announced, pouring herself a fresh cup of brew, "I shall tell you a story."

- - - - - - -


	3. Boy With Purple Hair

- - - - - - -

            People often mistook them for sisters.  It was of little wonder; they had similar looks and an incredible bond between them.  The two girls, each of eleven years, had grown up much in each other's company.  One father owned a ranch; the other a cafeteria.  But the men were the best of friends, as were their daughters.

            That sunny day, Cremia and Anju were hauling baskets of dirty laundry down to the Laundry Pool.  They were in the middle of a loud performance of a melody that a traveling bard had sung at the Stock Pot the previous night.

            However, they soon reached the second verse.  This they did not know so well.  Soon, both Anju and Cremia broke out laughing, falling to the ground.  They rolled around like this for a while, cackling their cute little red-haired heads off.

            Finally, Anju, still giggling wildly, staggered to a stand.  She plucked up the sheets, which had been sprawled across the earth when the girls had tumbled to it.

            Cremia followed suit.  They trod further into the enclosed courtyard to the bridge.

            "Cremia, chores are so much funner when you're staying with us," Anju said happily, a few giggles still left within her.

            "More fun," corrected Cremia when she could once again breathe.

            Her friend made a face.  "More fun," she repeated, her voice half obedient, half mocking.  "Anyways, it is."  She had shorter, redder locks than her longhaired strawberry-blond counterpart; her eyes were a darker blue too.

            Cremia and Anju dunked the sheets they'd carried into the cold water of the pool.  Then the washcloths, towels, tablecloths, dishrags, and everything else.

            They work calmed the girls down and turned their young minds to serious matters.

            "Hey, Anju!"

            "What?

            "Th-There's someone over there," Cremia stuttered.  "With…purple hair?"

            And indeed there was:  a boy, who had been on the other side of the pool up until this point.  He came towards them now, his crimson eyes wide with wonder.

            "What're you doing?" he asked.

            "Hello to you, too!" Cremia said, thinking the boy strange and rude.  "And we're doing the wash of course!"

            "Oh," he replied, becoming easily distracted by a shiny brown button on his vest.

            "Cremia," whispered Anju from the corner of her mouth.  "Have you ever seen anyone with purple hair before?"

            "Nah," replied her friend, not bothering to whisper (the stranger would hear anyway).

            "Wait!  Doesn't that guy who's running for mayor have it?"

            "Oh, yeah!  That…  Doctor, was it?"  Cremia giggled.  "It was some weirdo name.

            "Dotour," the boy corrected firmly.

            "How would you know?"  Cremia was angry with the boy, especially now that her friend was staring at him.

            "He's my father," he explained quietly.

            Anju gave a cute little yelp and covered her mouth with her fingers.  This was the only sound for a while, save that of the late morning breeze through the lush trees.

            At last, Cremia could tolerate the standing and staring no longer.  She gave a rushed apology before saying, "Anju, we'd better finish the laundry."

            Anju blinked her sapphire eyes slowly.  "Yes," she murmured.  However, she did not budge.

            Cremia stood between the other two.  "I'm sorry," she told the boy, "but Anju's mother will need us back soon."

            "Only in time for lunch, Cremia," reminded the other girl softly.  "We don't even know his name."

            "I'm Kafei," the boy said, gazing right over Cremia's shoulder.

            "Anju," groaned Cremia.  She gave up, pulling up a sheet and sudsing it up with a bar of soap she'd been keeping in her pocket.  She continued her work until the laundry was drying along the bridge railing.

            When she stood, she found that her companions had begun a conversation.

            "My father wanted to be a mayor for a long time," Kafei was saying, "so we came here as soon as the job opened up."

            "So you only came today?" Anju asked, her eyes fixed on him.  Of course, she couldn't meet his gaze; she was too shy.  So, really, she was only seeing his neck or thereabouts.

            "Yeah.  We're staying at some place called the Stock Pot."

            "That's my family's!" she exclaimed.  "But…we're only a cafeteria…"

            "I'm not clear on everything, but my father said 'Stock Pot' is where we're staying."  He looked overly serious, perhaps trying to impress Anju.  "And," Kafei added, "I'm supposed to go there for lunch."

            "Ooh!  You can come with me and Cremia then—once we finish the la…"  She looked about, bewildered.  There was no Cremia and no laundry.  Anju yelped again.  "Goodness!"

            "Where'd she go?" Kafei asked.  He spun around slowly, as Anju did.

            No Cremia.  No laundry.

            Anju took off at a run.  "Cremia!"

            "Hey, wait up!" Kafei exclaimed, hurrying after her.

- - -

            "I'm ashamed, Anju," scolded the girl's fiery-headed mother.  "Having our guest do all the work by herself!"

            "Mother," gulped Anju.  "I-I didn't ask her to."  Her eyes were on her sandals.

            "The woman's eyes fell on Kafei.  "Oh, this is Dotour's boy?"  She had to cease her lecture on account of the guest.

            Meanwhile, Cremia looked on mournfully from the other side of the dining hall.  She had only meant to expedite things by doing the laundry herself.  Getting Anju in trouble was what she had tried to avoid.  However, her plan had backfired when Anju's mother demanded an explanation of everything that had gone on.

            After a minute, a customer distracted the woman.  Her daughter and the boy were free to come over to Cremia.

            "I'm sorry," Cremia apologized.  "I didn't mean to get your mother on your case, Anju."

            Anju, severely humbled by her mother's scolding, shook her head.  "It's me who's sorry."  She sighed.  "I didn't help you."

            "Humph!  It's all over now, isn't it?"  Kafei set down his lunch at the table, along with himself, and began to eat the bread and cheese hungrily.

            "I suppose," Cremia agreed, eyeing the boy with suspicion.  She'd already finished her meal due to her early arrival.

            "I'm sorry," Anju mumbled, only touching her own food with the tips of her fingers.

            "Eat," commanded Cremia.

            Anju, ever obedient, ate.

            Kafei, ever blissful, kept talking.  "You know, if my dad gets elected and all, my life will be real different."

            Cremia asked dully, "How so?"

            "Well, I'll settle down for once!  Me and Mom and Dad are always traveling, you see.  We once stayed with the Zoras for two months, you know.  My dad was the manager of the Indigo-Gos!"

            The ranch girl though, So know he thinks he can manage the city?, but she had already insulted Dotour once that day.  Instead, she asked, "What else?"

            "We've gone all over the world!  After we were in the mountains—"

            Cremia's attention was snagged.  "You were in the mountains?  With the Gorons?" she interrupted.

            "Oh, yes," replied the boy, a nice little smile gracing his lips.  "We spent, like, two years with them.  It's very cold up there in winter!  But they always have nice big fires in the caves."

            "Tell me more," insisted Cremia.  "I always love to hear about Gorons and the mountains.  Do they still have those races?"

            "Oh, yeah," Kafei told her.  "I watched them lots!  You wouldn't believe how many Gorons come from all over!  Must be thousands of 'em!  I never saw so many people, 'cept maybe at this coronation ceremony for the new Deku king three years back."

            Cremia loved the forest almost as much as the mountains.  "You actually got into the palace?  I heard Deku hate outsiders!"

            A wry grin was on his pale face, his crimson eyes almost completely shut.  "Well, actually, they do, you see.  Mom didn't go, but me and Dad hid in bushes and snuck in.  There were sooooo many of those Deku people, you wouldn't believe your own eyes!"

            "I never saw a Deku before," commented Anju quietly, blinking her soft eyes shyly.

            Cremia raised a brow at her friend's strange behavior.  Anju was never this silent and humble unless her parents were involved.  Still, Cremia concurred, "Me neither.  What do they look like, exactly?"

            Kafei was bursting with happiness, overwhelmingly pleased to tell them more of what they did not know.  "They look just like living plants, I think.  They're shorter than adults.  They got brown skin, like bark, and glowing yellow eyes…"

            Both girls were pulled further and further in.  Cremia, for a while, was quite aware she was being so enthralled, but she couldn't help it.  Even if he did make Anju act all weird, perhaps Kafei wasn't so bad after all.

            It was not long enough for the children before Anju's mother was heard coughing exceptionally loudly from across the room.

            "Oh, Anju," noticed Cremia, "it's time to help clean up."

            And, indeed, the cafeteria had gradually emptied.

            Anju gave a little gasp, hopping up.  "Mother, I'm sorry!"

            The woman sighed and handed her daughter and the other girl pails of water and rags.  "I hate to interrupt," she began, a bit of sarcasm in her voice as well as annoyance, "but it is you girls' duty."

            "Duty?" scoffed Kafei when she left.  She was a bit angry that his account of swimming across the ocean to escape vicious Gerudo pirates had been so rudely cut short.

            "You'd best go," Anju told Kafei sadly.  "Mother is having us work all afternoon today."

            Kafei frowned.  Surely, though, there would be other youths out in Clock Town he could impress.  But…

            "Anju, do you remember that other song that guy sang last night?" asked Cremia, who was at work soaping up a tabletop.

            Her friend joined her.  "Was that the one about the cow?"

            And together, they began to sing:

I once loved a girl named Bess 

She was the best

She did give me everything:

Love, love, and love!

You could drink this everyday

For, this love was… 

            "Milk!"

            Cremia and Anju cried the final word a bit early, and they fell into uncontrollable laughter, even as they scrubbed.

            Kafei, seeing he was no longer need to entertain, left.

- - - - - - -


	4. Depressing Celebration

- - - - - - -

            "Hey, Cremia?"

            "Yes, Anju?"

            They were standing atop of the roof of the Stock Pot, beating rugs as the daylight dwindled in the west.

            Anju paused.  "Hey, Cremia," she repeated.  "Have you ever thought about love?"

            Cremia, confused, said, "Love?"

            It had been a few weeks since Dotour had been elected mayor.  That night, in fact, a celebration was to be held when the purple-haired man was sworn in.

            Anju blushed terribly.  "I, uh, that is to say…"

            Her friend, who secretly had been noticing how pleasant Kafei's smile was to look at, insisted, "Me?  Love?  Never!"  She pondered for a moment.  "Well…  I love my father, and Mama, even if she died.  And…  Even little Romani, although she can only babble on about silly things."

            Anju, to Cremia's surprise, laughed.  "Oh, not like _that_, Cremia!"

            The ranch girl stared.  "What?  Like a boy?  Do _you_ love anybody?"

            Anju's eyes widened before she looked away.  "M-Me?  N-No, no r-really."

            "Hmm," was all Cremia said, knowing the other girl was lying.  Because her own feelings might be brought up, however, Cremia didn't call Anju on it.

            "This is all hypothetical, of course," began Anju slowly, "but…  Well, if you loved someone, Cremia—"

            "Which I don't!"

            "Yes, yes, neither do I.  But I _said_ hypothetical, right?  Anyway…  If you, um, liked anybody…  What would you, um, do about it?"

            Cremia could not come up with a single word to say as a reply.

            "Well?" Anju prompted after a few minutes of nervous waiting.

            "I would have no idea," Cremia said, becoming cross for no reason.

            "No idea about what?"

            Anju, whose mouth had been open to speak, froze.

            Kafei stepped closer.  "What's wrong with her?" he questioned Cremia, gesturing at the statue-like girl with one hand.

            Anju came back to life, shaking a bit.  "Nothing.  Y-You just startled me."

            "Whatever."

            "What are you doing here?" Cremia wondered, folding some heavy rugs over her thin arms.  Lately, she had been being a lot nicer to Kafei.  She couldn't help it.

            "Just wondered where you two were.  You're going tonight, right?"  Kafei absently played with strands of his purple hair.

            Who was he talking to?  Both of them?  One of them?  If so, which one?

            Kafei coughed.

            "Yeah, we're going," Cremia answered finally.  "Everyone is."

            Anju, unable to speak, smiled weakly and nodded.

            "I figured we could go together.  All of us," he added, seeing he had been being a little unclear.

            Cremia's spirit rose.  She had been worried that Kafei intended to ask only Anju.  "Oh, that's good."

            He was a bit confused.  "Good?  I guesso.  Anywho, you'd better get ready and all."

            Anju's deep sapphire eyes were slightly blank.  "Oh, is it sunset already?"

            "Nearly.  C'mon, Anju, let's bring these rugs in."  Cremia had to grab hold of her friend's skirt and tug her along.

            Anju nearly tripped due to this.  "Um, bye, Kafei," she got out before she was inside.

            Kafei was left to stand there alone, puzzled.

- - -

            "Do I look all right?" Cremia consulted her friend.  They were nearing the blazing fires of the party, which was beginning at that moment beneath the Clock Tower.  Anju sported a conservative dress of blue, while Cremia was wearing one of peach and deep yellow.

            It was the first time Cremia had been to a real party, especially with so many people attending.  Her usual calm temperament was thrown out the window, replaced by a modesty and nervousness reminiscent of Anju.

            "Very nice," Kafei said.  He looked at Cremia strangely.  "Do you have makeup on?  Your cheeks are all pink!"

            This only made Cremia blush harder.  "I-It's probably just the light."

            "Hm," Kafei replied, not really that concerned about it.  He had on a fancy silk tunic that was white and leather leggings dyed black.  "I hope Father isn't angry with me for being late."

            "People are only just coming," Cremia assured him, trying to be cool while quietly feeling if her two pigtails were even.

            "_Two _girlfriends for the young Kafei!" remarked a Goron man in a deep voice, stepping forward.

            "Oh, Master!" cried Kafei, putting some distance between himself and the two girls.

            "Hello!"  Cremia, who had only seen a Goron twice before (and only just recently), shrugged off her shyness at this occasion.

             The Goron grinned.  "I can't blame you, Kafei, for keeping such cute company!  I rather envy you."  He gave a laugh that reminded Cremia of an expectant volcano.

            "Oh, Master," groaned Kafei.  "They're my new friends, that's all."

            "I know, I know," chuckled the man.

            "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Cremia said, her heart recovering from the flight it had just taken.  "I am Cremia of Romani Ranch."

            "I-I'm Anju.  Of the Stock Pot," spoke her friend quietly.

            "Ooh!  They even have cute names!"  The Goron stood up a bit straighter.  "I have a name too, but you can just call me 'Master.'  I was your boyfriend's teacher a few years back."

            "Master!"  It was the first time Cremia had seen Kafei blush.

            "Yes, yes, and I tease him mercilessly."  The Goron gave the girls a wink.  "How old are you girls?  Fifteen?  Sixteen?"

            "Just eleven," giggled Anju.

            "I'll be twelve next month," Cremia piped up, as flattered as her friend.

            The man looked shocked.  "So young!  I don't believe it!  You're both so pretty—not to mention mature!"

            Cremia and Anju giggled more, looking at each other with big smiles on their faces.

            "I'm surprised you're younger than this shrimp here."  The Goron poked Kafei, who had, all of this time, been quite silent and confused.

            "Really?  How old are you, Kafei?" Anju asked.

            "Twelve.  Almost thirteen," he added to sound a bit better after being beaten down by their words.

            "Oh," Cremia commented.  "I thought you were younger."

            Kafei crossed his arms.  "Humph!  Well, _I_'m going to go speak with my father—the new mayor!"  And he marched off, just like that.

            Anju eeked and scurried after him.

            "Oh, I'm far too cruel to him," The Goron remarked, still chuckling a bit to himself.  He looked at Cremia, the only who remained, saying, "He really _is_ a good lad."

            "I know," Cremia replied, a bit somber as she watched Anju join Kafei and walk rather closely at his side.

            "Rather smart as well."  The Goron put a friendly hand on her shoulder.  "Don't look so sad; it doesn't suit a beautiful young woman to appear so forlorn."  Something captured his attention, and he took his leave of her with a polite farewell.

            Cremia sighed and, on a sudden wave of unpleasant emotions, retreated to a dark corner to sulk.

- - -

            "Hi there," whispered Cremia to a shaggy little puppy that had come under the wooden stall to join her.

            The dog yipped happily as the girl scratched behind his ears.

            "Shhh!  You'll give me away!" she exclaimed at the dog, putting her hand over its mouth.  A nip to her fingers and the dog was free, scampering off towards the firelight where, possibly, more friendly folk were waiting.

            Cremia gladly would have followed it, but she just could not now.  Here it was, her first party ever, and she was on the ground hiding in the dark corner.  She had been hiding so long now, though, that it would be too embarrassing to come out and admit it.

            She finally mustered up the courage to leave, but she heard the sound of a familiar voice nearby, along with the slightly frazzled sound of Mayor Dotour.

            Kafei was saying something.  "And anyway, I gave him back his money."

            "That was good of you," the boy's father said.  "It is best to give back lost items, even if it's something you want."  He switched topics after a few minutes.  "Kafei, now that I'm mayor, we'll probably be here for a long time.  I'm sorry we had to give up our adventurous life, but your mother grew tired of it."

            "It's okay, Dad."

            "So, how are you liking Clock Town, Kafei?"

            "I like it a lot," the boy said earnestly.

            "I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time with those two girls."

            "Anju and Cremia?  Yeah.  They're the only other kids my age around here, 'cept the daughter of the man who runs the games.  But she's always chasing after some guy.  It's weird.  But I like Anju and Cremia."

            "They nice girls?"

            "Oh, yeah.  And they always like to listen to all of our adventures.  It's fun."

             "Kafei…"

            "Yes, Dad?"

            Dotour paused.  "Nevermind.  Anyway, I was thinking about your future.  Once we get moved into the Mayor's Residence, I need to find you another tutor."

            "Oh," Kafei said quietly.  "But I kinda liked staying at the Stock Pot."

            "I know, but we can't stay there forever.  It's a cafeteria, not an inn."  The new mayor added, "Besides, the Residence is just a short distance from the Stock Pot anyhow."

            "Oh."  Kafei was a bit happier this time.  Suddenly, he realized, "But if I go back to having a tutor, I'll have to study all the time."

            "Not all the time, Kafei.  But you need to keep up your studies.  Your mother will be angry otherwise.  You'll be thirteen next week, son.  You'll be a man before you know it, and you need an education."

            Cremia, still listening silently, was a bit embarrassed for some reason.  She had never had a tutor, only knowing what she had taught herself.  Also, she'd heard that Kafei's birthday was next week.  Should she get him a present?

            Kafei answered dejectedly, "Yes, Dad.  I'll study hard."  But Cremia, from right near him, could hear a little sigh of sadness.

            His father spoke again.  "Well, one of your friends will be heading back to Romani Ranch soon, you know."

            "What?  Cremia will?"

            Cremia blushed to hear him talk of her so panicked.

            "Yes, so you won't be missing spending time with her.  She's only on vacation here."

            "Well, I will have Anju."

            Cremia felt her heart shattering into a million pieces.  As soon as she was sure Kafei and Dotour had left, she scrambled out of the square as fast as she could, running in some direction.  It didn't matter where she was going.  She just had to get out of there.

            _Kafei doesn't care about me.  He only wants Anju!  I hate him!  I can't wait until I can go back to the ranch!_

            Suddenly, she bumped into a rather distraught Anju.

            It was dark, so the other girl couldn't tell that Cremia had tears streaming down her face.  Anju yelped, "Oh, who is it?"

            "Cremia."

            "Oh, Cremia!  Where have you been?"

            "Nowhere—hey, what's the matter?"

            Anju gripped her friend's two hands, squeezing tightly.  "Oh, it's terrible!  You just _got _to help me!"

            Cremia wiped her eyes, hoping her companion couldn't see.  "Just calm down a minute.  What is it?"

            "I told Kafei I'd meet him in North Clock Town, but my mother is making me go home!  Please, please go and meet him for me!  Cremia, you just got to!"

            Cremia froze.  After what she just heard, she couldn't do that!

            Anju was really panicking.  "Please!  Mother'll kill me!"

            Cremia sighed.  "Sure, sure.  Go home now, I'll find Kafei and tell him."

            "Oh, tell him I'm so sorry!" cried Anju as she ran away, presumably towards where her mother waited impatiently.

            The remaining girl stood there for a moment, tried to figure out where she was.  This was East Clock Town?  How had she ended up here?  She sighed, slowly picking up her sandaled feet to walk up the slope past the various shops and the bank.  Each step was heavier than the last.  She did not want to see Kafei.

            Still, she kept going.  She had promised Anju, and Anju had promised Kafei.  Promises were very serious things.  If Cremia did not fulfill hers, she would be hurting both her best friend and Kafei.

            Kafei.

            As she entered the park area that was North Clock Town, Cremia saw Kafei's figure highlighted by moonlight, sitting on a pillar in the corner.  She swallowed hard and walked closer to him, his words echoing through her mind.  Kafei did not care about Cremia.  All that mattered to him was Anju.

            "Anju?" Kafei asked nervously, hopping down from the pillar to come eagerly over.  "You here?"

            "No," the girl said nervously.

            Kafei halted.  "Cremia?  Where's Anju?"

- - - - - - -


	5. Quick Departure

- - - - - - -

            "She couldn't come," she explained, her mouth dry.  She desperately fought the urge to go running.  She didn't want to be around Kafei.  "Her, er, mother wouldn't let her come, so she sent me to say, um, she was real sorry."

            Kafei didn't say anything.

            "Don't be mad at her," pleaded Cremia.

            "I'm not," Kafei replied, sounding calmer than the girl had expected.

            "Well, I guess I'd better go home," she said.

            "Oh, do you have to?"  He sounded…lonely?

            This hit Cremia at a moment of weakness.  "Nah, I guess I don't have to."

            Kafei's big smile was visible, even in just the moonlight.  The two of them scampered up the pillars to the highest one, sitting together.  They had done this before, along with Anju, many times during the past couple weeks.  Their naked legs dangled off the sides, swaying gently.

            "You know what?"

            Cremia turned to him.  "What?"

            "You look nice tonight."

            She blushed terribly.  "Thank you."

             "Um…  But where were you, anyway?  I didn't see you the whole time."

            All of her bad feelings flooded back into the girl's heart.  "I just wanted to let you and Anju have some time together," she said crossly.

            "Yeah, Anju and I had lots of fun."

            These words stung Cremia like air on a fresh cut.  She turned away.  _I don't even know why I'm here, anyway_, she thought angrily.  _I don't wanna hear about him and Anju._

            "My dad said you'd be going back to the ranch soon," Kafei said quietly, apparently not noticing how foul Cremia felt at that moment.

            "I know—er, I mean, yeah."  She didn't want to give away the fact she'd been overhearing that conversation.

            "You like it there?"

            "Where?"

            "At the ranch, silly."

            "Oh."  Cremia pondered.  Actually, the ranch might be a sweet escape now.  She would not have to watch Anju and Kafei together, at least.  But if she left now, they would only grow closer.  Her heart pounded.

            "Well?"

            "Of course I like it!  I love it!  I-It's my home!"

            "You don't have to be so upset, Cremia.  I was just wondering."

            Cremia frowned deeply.  She didn't want to go home.  She wanted to stay with Anju and Kafei and play together like they had been.  But she did have to go home…  Her father would need her.

            "What do you do at the ranch, anyway?" asked Kafei cautiously, probably at bit frightened by her outburst.

            "Lots of stuff.  I have to take care of the cows mostly.  And watch Romani."  She made a face.  Romani could be a brat at times.

            "I wish I had a brother or sister sometimes," he said.

            "Why?  They're just a pain, you know."

            "I dunno.  When Mom and Dad get talking or something, I'm alone.  I think it might be fun to have had another kid around to go on adventures with, too."  Kafei sighed, looking up at the twinkling stars.

            "You're sounding like all your adventures are all done, Kafei," Cremia said quietly.

            "Oh, they probably are."  Kafei sounded the most serious and saddest that Cremia had ever heard him be.  

            "You could go on adventures with us, couldn't you?" she said before she knew the words had even formed in her mind.

            Kafei smiled weakly.  "I'm gonna have to study all the time now, though.  But…  Maybe we could.  It would be cool."

            Cremia smiled warmly and giggled.  "It's weird for you to act so down, Kafei.  It isn't like you!"

            He looked into her eyes, making her blush.  "I dunno.  I get sad a lot…  Just not as much since I met you guys."

            The girl turned her attention to straightening out some loose strands of hair so that he couldn't see how embarrassed she was.  "Kafei…"

            He continued looking at the sky.  "I feel like I got to grow up now, but I don't want to."

            "Hey, Kafei, it's your birthday soon, right?"

            "Five days," he told her proudly.

            She felt sad.  She would be gone by then.  Cremia reached and took off the bandana from around her neck, handing it to him.  "There isn't enough time to get you a present, but here.  Take this, okay?"

            The boy looked a bit confused, but he took it and fingered the cloth slowly.  "Thanks, Cremia."

            "I'll get you a real present sometime.  I promise."

            They sat there for a while, looking at the stars and the moon.  They talked about what they would do when Cremia came back to Clock Town: what jokes they would pull on whom, where they would run races, where they would have adventures.

            But then, something happened that would ruin all these plans and change Cremia's life forever.

            "Cremia!  Cremia!"

            She looked down and saw a lit torch emerging from the entrance to North Clock Town.  A man bore it.  It was Anju's father!

            "Cremia!" he yelled again.

            "I'm here!" the girl replied, scared by the panic in his voice.

            He neared, his balding head flashing in the light of the flames.  "Cremia, we have to get you back!  It's your father—"

            "Papa?"  She hopped off the pillar, hurting her foot a little but not caring.  "What's happened to Papa?"

            "It's bad, Cremia," he said, pulling the girl along.  "I have my horse ready—we'll ride immediately.  My wife packed up your things; they're already on the horse."

            "I don't care!" she cried.  "What's happened to Papa?"

            "It's bad, it's bad.  You must go and see him.  Come quicker, Cremia."  And there were lines of worry all over his face as he tugged her along.

            "Cremia?" Kafei said.  He had apparently come after, and was following.

            Cremia looked back with wide, frightened eyes.  "Kafei…"

            The purple-haired boy walked after the other two until they reached the East Clock Town exit.  Anju was there too, next to her mother.  They just stood there, staring, puzzled.

            Cremia was hoisted onto the horse, too confused to say anything.  As she and the man rode out to Termina Field, she managed a small wave.  But that was all.  She would not be in Clock Town again for a long time.

- - -

            It was dawn when they reached Romani Ranch.  Cremia, who had sat on the horse, frozen and frightened for the entire ride, jumped off and sprinted across the field to her house.  She struggled with the knob in her panic.  Romani, from inside, ended up opening the door instead.

            "Cremia?" Romani asked.  She was just a little girl, and her eyes were red with tears and confused.

            "Where's Papa?" demanded her sister when she could talk.  Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest.

            "In bed," Romani replied, watching as her sister scrambled up the stairs and to the bedroom.  On her seven-year-old legs, she teetered after.

            Cremia stopped in her tracks as soon as entered the room.  There, on the big bed, was her father.

            "Papa?" screamed Cremia.  "Papa, Papa!"

            "Cremia," came his crackly voice, barely audible.

            Cremia walked slowly over to him.  "Papa, what happened to you?"  She looked in horror at his yellowing skin scratched with wrinkles that covered a thin body.  He looked so weak.  "I was only gone two months!"  Tears erupted from her blue eyes, pouring down her worried face.

            "Come here, Cremia," beckoned her father, only his lips being able to move.

            She hesitated, but knelt at his side.  It was her duty as his daughter.  Her nose wrinkled at the smell of him.  It was some unrecognizable scent, but one that she knew the meaning of.  What had happened to her father?  Two months ago, he had been a big man full of muscle and vigor.

            His breathing was labored and loud.  "I appear to have gotten sick all of a sudden…"

            "Why didn't anyone come and tell me, Papa?" she demanded between sobs.  "I would have come home!"

            "By…by…  By the time I realized I was sick, I was too sick to do anything.  I…  I…"  He closed his eyes, squinted as though he were in immense pain.

            "How long have you been like this?"  Cremia gulped, not wanting to hear the answer somehow.  She didn't want any answers to the questions that were racing across her mind.

            "Few weeks…  Cremia, Cremia, I have to tell you…"

            "What, Papa?" she prompted as his voice faded away.  "Please tell me!"

            "You'll look after your sister, won't you?  You'll take of your sister, right?"  His eyes opened and closed again slowly.  An eerie smile spread across his voice.  "Romani…  Romani, love, I'm coming…"

            Cremia screamed.

            Her father was dead.

- - - - - - -


	6. Tough Start

- - - - - - -

            It was a cold autumn day.  Cremia was struggling with the huge barrels of hay, trying to push them up the hill to the barn.  But her twelve-year-old body was not yet strong enough to do it easily.  She set her small feet firmly on the ground and pushed with all her might.

            It took hours to get all the barrels to the barn.  She set them on the side in a neat row and covered them with an enormous tarp.  It was lucky, too; rain began to pitter-patter down atop her dirty, sweaty body just then.

            "Romani!" yelled Cremia to her sister, who was playing with some puppies from the Doggy Racetrack.  "Come with me inside!"

            Romani sighed and abandoned the dogs to enter the big barn with her sister.  It had been weeks since their father had been buried.  Now the girls were alone, trying to handle the awesome task of running a ranch by themselves.  It was not that easy.

            Cremia had already sat down on a stool and was milking a cow.  The cow was not being very cooperative because it had been surviving on stale hay for days.  There was a little milk that wasn't that good.  Cremia felt like crying.  She needed good milk to sell to the people in town.

            "This stinks," complained Romani, sitting in the corner with her arms folded.

            "Stop pouting," her sister scolded.  "When the rain lets up, we're going out to bring some fresh hay for the cows." 

            "Romani doesn't want to!"

            "Can you talk like a normal person for once, Romani?"  Cremia sighed.  Ever since the passing of their father, Romani had begun talking about herself in third person.

            "Romani wants Papa!" screamed the girl, beginning to throw a tantrum.  Tears flew from her eyes, and she tossed her arms and legs all about, plopping down on the floor to roll around balling.

            "Papa's dead, you idiot," Cremia groaned under her breath, leaning hard against the side of the cow.  She had dealt with two such fits that day already, and she did not want to deal with it any more.

            Perhaps it was lucky that the first Romani died giving birth to the second.  This way, the child did not have another parent to cry about.  Cremia, on the other hand, had had to experience the loss of both parents now.  And she cried too, often, but never so that anyone could see.

            The other girl finally stood, wiping her eyes.  "Romani wants a nap," she announced.

            Cremia sighed and went over to her sister, guiding her out the door.  "Fine.  I have to go anyway."

            "Go where?  Go where?"  Her sadness had instantly dissipated.  "Romani wants to know!  To town?"

            "Yes," her sister said, tightening the grip on Romani's fingers.  She knew what was coming.

            "Romani go too!  Romani never go town!  Take Romani!"

            Cremia cursed inwardly.  She should not have told her.  "You can't.  Another time."

            "Now!  Now!" screamed Romani.

            "No!" shouted Cremia so firmly that her sister stopped, obediently coming along through the rain to the Doggy Racetrack.  It was a long walk on her tired legs, and even longer when Romani got too tired and had to be carried.  The rain let up a little when Cremia's load did.

            Romani instantly ran to a group of dogs and curled up to sleep beside them.

            Cremia promised the woman that she would be back that night, even if it were late.  The deal between the two of them was that the woman would watch Romani in exchange for Cremia picking up some items in town.

            Cremia thanked her profusely and hurried back to the barn, where she dispensed hay for the Chateau Romani cows and filled up a few milk bottles.  The milk was not that good, but it was the best she'd been able to get that week.  She sighed and placed them outside.

            Now came the huge task of getting the wagon outside.  First, Cremia pushed open the huge barn door and took out the cart.  Then she got out the hood, which took twenty minutes to affix properly.  Next came the wheel and, finally, her mule, which had been waiting in the stable.

            Cremia tied the milk bottles on as tightly as she could and took the driver's seat.  This was the first time she had done this alone.  She had driven once before, but that had been last year with her father right behind her, instructing her on every move to make.

            Biting back tears, she started off, trying to force confidence upon herself.  _Just think, Cremia!  Here you are, running the ranch yourself!  You're taking the milk to town all by yourself!  You're so…responsible…_

            The rain grew harder and stronger, thundering down on the girl.  She leaned a bit back further under the cover.  This only succeeded in getting the mule to jerk it's head and stop, pointed at a wall.  They hadn't even left the ranch yet!

            It would be a long trip.

- - -

            She reached her destination in mid-afternoon.  Clock Town was as busy as ever.  There were lots of people scampering around, most looking lost.  Cremia realized that it must have been approaching the Carnival.  She had not been to it, but she had heard plenty of stories from Anju.

            She first went to the milk bar, Latte.  There she conversed with Mr. Barten, the man who owned the place, and gained his assistance with the milk bottles.

            "I am sorry, Cremia, but I can't pay you much for this milk," he admitted sadly.  "I couldn't sell at as true Chateau, you see…"  He looked very apologetic, but he still could only give her half the number of rupees that the amount of milk usually earned.

            "It's fine," she told him, forcing a smile.  "Thank you very much."

            She loaded up the empty milk bottles from the last shipment on her cart, and then went to West Clock Town to shop.  She stopped at the bank first.

            "Ah, Romani Ranch's account.  I have you down for…  Twenty rupees," said the banker, patting his knees excitedly all the time.

            "Twenty…?"  Cremia blinked her eyes.  It just could not be!  She was sure there were over 3000 rupees the last time she had been to the bank.  And that was just a few months ago.

            "Yep," he said.  "Are you going to make a withdrawal or a deposit?"

            "I… I…"  What would she do?  She needed a few hundred rupees for shopping, maybe more.  And there would be lots of costs for winter too.  She shook her head wildly, trying to get some sense to fly in.  "Are y-you sure there isn't some mistake, mister?"

            He stopped his incessant hopping for a moment and looked straight down his nose at her.  "I _never_ make a mistake.  Twenty rupees."

            And she knew he was telling the truth.  "Um…  I guess I'm not going to do anything, then.  Thanks…"  Cremia stumbled away, in a daze.  What had happened to all the money?

            "Oh, it _is_ her!  Hey, Cremia!" called a familiar female voice.

            The girl looked up.  She saw two children of her age standing at the base of the hill of West Clock Town.  "Hi," was all she could say, and not very loudly.

            Anju ran up to her, with Kafei close behind.

            "Oh, Cremia!" cried Anju, throwing her arms around her best friend.  She hugged the ranch girl tightly.  "I'm so sorry about your father," she said a bit more quietly.

            Cremia hugged back, trying to suppress tears.  When the embrace was done, she gave a half-hearted smile.  "Thanks, Anju."

            Kafei, on the sidelines, was looking on nervously.  He finally spoke, saying, "How're you doing?"

            "Good," lied Cremia, making her smile bigger.  She changed the subject, not wanting to talk about herself anymore (she might actually tell the truth).  "Um, so how have you guys been doing?"

            "Great," Anju said, a real smile on her pretty pink lips.  "Business is really good at the Stock Pot since the Carnival is coming and all.  Oh!  Are you going to be coming, Cremia?"

            Cremia noted how close Anju and Kafei stood together, and it pained her heart.  It was really the first time she had had a chance to think about these two.  She gulped secretly and said, "Oh, I think I am going to miss it.  I have to get the cows ready for winter, you know."

            "Oh," Anju said, disappointed.

            Kafei was also this way.  "But we planned on it, didn't we, Cremia?  All of us would go together?  Don't you remember?"

            Cremia shook her head.  "I'm sorry," she told them again.  "Maybe another year."

            They were silent for a while, all of them.  It was a very awkward and uncomfortable situation.  Finally, Cremia ended it.

            "I'm sorry, but I have to go.  I'm only in town to run errands, you know."  She waved and started to turn around.

            "We could go with you," suggested Kafei.

            Cremia turned around completely, not wanting them to see her pained expression.  "Nah, it'll be really boring.  Well, bye."  And she hurriedly disappeared into the general store.

            The girl handed off the racetrack lady's list to the man behind the counter and waited.  She would have loved to be in her friends' company longer, but, had they followed, they would probably find out more about her troubles.

            "Here," said the shopkeeper, handing off a heavy box of items.  "Anything for you, miss?"

            "Not right now, thank you," said Cremia, paying him the woman's money.  The girl only had fifty rupees with her now.  What could she pay for?  She had come to buy extra cartwheels, milk bottles, and, most importantly, food.  Romani Ranch had a small garden, but they needed meat and other items.

            Then, an idea came to her, a wild idea.  "Um, mister, do you have any spices for meat?"

            "Yeah," he said, setting out a few bottles for her.

            She handed over fifteen rupees in exchange for two bottles.

            "You sure you want these, miss?"  He said, examining the meat flavoring bottles.

            "Yes, thank you," she said, and was on her way.

            Cremia next visited a street vendor selling tools and was able to barter for an ax and a saw with what remained of her money.  Broke and tired, the girl headed back to the wagon to drive home.

            On her way, she grew very weary.  She realized she was in South Clock Town.  _I'll go to the Laundry Pool_, she thought, _and rest on the bench._  She set her box down at the beginning of the path after climbing up all the stairs, slowly taking the ramp down.  She was about to enter the courtyard when she heard voices.

            Cremia poked her head around to see that a couple was seated on the bench.  Holding hands.  The girl had her head on the boy's shoulder.  This wouldn't have mattered to Cremia, except for the fact that it was Anju and Kafei.

- - - - - -


	7. Birds, Wounds, and Romance

- - - - - -

            It was late when Cremia arrived back at the ranch, even if she had gone as fast as she could.  _Anju…  Kafei…  _They were all she could think about.  How they gripped each other's fingers, how they leaned against each other blissfully.  _Anju is only twelve like me…  Isn't she too young?_

            It was dark when Cremia finally got the wagon put away and the groceries traded for Romani.

            "Romani had fun!" her little sister said, prancing along Cremia's side to the house.  "Romani loves doggies!"

            Cremia was thankful that her sister was in a good mood.  It was much easier to deal with the girl if she was in high spirits.  "Oh, Romani did, huh?"

            "Romani ran around with them!  Romani won!"

            "Congratulations, Romani," Cremia said, giggling at her sister's little twirl in the air.  The stars were bright and plentiful in the country, providing a false sense of twilight.  In addition, the moon was swinging up over the horizon.

            "Sister, Romani is hungry," announced the child.

            "Well, dinner will take me a while.  Could you maybe have some bread till then, sister?"  She had just baked bread the previous day.  

            "Okay!  Romani loves bread!"  She grinned and ran into the house before Cremia, who soon sliced up two pieces and topped them with butter.

            While Romani chewed hungrily on her bread, Cremia chewed thoughtfully on hers.  _Anju…  Kafei…  Anju…  Kafei…  Kafei…_  She shook her head.  Why could she only think about Kafei now?  They were both her friends—and Anju was her best friend, anyway.  But…  _It's not Anju's fault that she and—no, nothing's happened.  They were just holding hands.  So what?  Mama used to hold my hand when we went for walks around the ranch.  I held Romani's hand just now.  And maybe Anju was just tired…_

            "Hey, were you going to make supper?"

            Cremia blinked.  "Oh, yeah.  Sorry."  She got up and began placing some vegetables on the table.  It took her a minute to find the knife, which she used to chop the food.  She next fumbled in her pockets for one of the bottles.  She put in a generous spoonful of the flakes.

            "Hey!  That smells like meat!" Romani announced, sniffing the air as she teetered over.  "Romani hasn't had meat since…long time!"

            "Me neither," concurred Cremia, hopeful her sibling would believe there was meat in the stew.  "But it isn't much, just enough to flavor the soup."  She looked into Romani's wide blue eyes, and suddenly her only wish was to present a full dinner with big slices of meat and fresh vegetables.

            But it couldn't be.  Not yet.  Cremia had to settle with dropping the meat-flavored flakes into the clear water to make a thin broth for the vegetable chunks.

            As the dinner simmered, Romani played with a doll and Cremia thought more.  _Anju…  Have you stolen Kafei from me?  No…  He always liked you.  He never noticed me…_  She remembered the night that she left town.  Kafei had complimented her.  He had expressed remorse that she would have to leave.  _I wish I knew how he felt about me…  Are the three of us just friends?  Well…  I…_

            "Read Romani a story!"

            A book fell into Cremia's lap, care of her sister.

            "A story, huh?  Okay…"  She began to flip through the pages of the dusty old storybook.  She stopped at a picture of a beautiful blond princess momentarily, and tried to flip by it.  However, her sister stuck her hand between the pages.

            "Romani wants this one!"

            "Fine," relented Cremia, turning back to it.  She began to read the big, curvy letters.  "_Once upon a time, there was a young princess who lived in a realm parallel to ours.  She was very beautiful.  Her hair was the color of sunshine, and her eyes the color of the clear blue sky.  She lived in a huge stone castle with her father, the king, and she had many servants and guards.  The princess even had a warrior as her nursemaid._

"_One day, the girl had a dream.  Her dreams were not just any dreams.  No, they were prophecies.  The princess saw in her dream dark clouds over her beloved land, and a lone figure with a green stone and a fairy—_"

            "A real fairy, sister?" Romani asked, looking up into her eyes.

            "Fairies aren't real, Romani.  This is a made-up story."

            She made a face.  "Romani thinks it's real!  Why else would it be in a book?"

            Cremia sighed.  "Did you hear me, Romani?  It's _not real_.  It's _made-up_."

            "Romani saw a fairy once!  Romani saw two!" protested the child.  "One way yellow—"

            "You were probably just dreaming!"  Cremia slammed the book close.  "Enough stories.  You help me set the table."

            "Romani thinks you're mean!"  The girl sat firmly in her seat.

            "Fine, don't help me.  But you don't get to eat then, either."  Cremia stood and straightened out her skirt a little.  "You can just go to bed now."

            This possibility was quite atrocious to the girl, so she became obedient and helped.

            They ate dinner in silence.  Cremia was fuming.  She realized that the soup only tasted a tiny bit like meat, and she found herself hungering for the real thing.  Well, tomorrow she would get it.  She had a plan.

- - -

            She set out early.  Romani, this time, she had left to the man who had a cucco farm.  Cremia had taken the old dusty bow from behind some rusted, broken milk bottles, restrung it (this took a lot of time and patience), and now had it at her side.

            It took longer than she thought to travel Milk Road on foot and reach Termina Field.  She took a little gasp.  Creatures of all colors and forms zoomed around the plain, squawking, chirping, and glirping.  It was more than intimidating, but the girl would not allow herself to admit this.

            "All right…"  She took up the bow in her little hands and strung it with an arrow she had found.  Cremia pulled back the arrow as hard as she could, and loosed the arrow.

            It fell to the ground not a footstep away.

            It didn't plummet, didn't soar.  It simply fell limply to the soil as soon as her fingers had released it.

            Cremia uttered what she, at twelve, imagined to be a rather nasty curse, and picked up the sliver of wood another time.  She set it on the bow and on her fingers, pulling it even tighter.  

            The thing she had targeted before was long gone, so Cremia had to wait with her bow assaulting her arm muscles until a bird came along.  It was a big, awkward bird.  "Easy," declared Cremia, using all her strength to launch the arrow.

            And yes, this time it soared through the air.  But it was a good ten feet off—maybe a dozen.

            The bird gave a taunting screech and began circling Cremia.

            Cremia suddenly felt the moisture evaporate from her lips.  She shook a little bit to rid herself of doubt, and cocked another arrow.  _This time for sure!  Stupid bird!_

            Third time was the charm for Cremia.  The missile whistled through the chilly air to reach its final destination, which was, luckily, within the feathered gut of the girl's mocking prey.

            Cremia almost laughed with delight.  She ran for her kill, which was falling to the bushes.  When it lay there in the grasses, it seemed a lot smaller than it had when it was squawking at her.

            "Food is food," Cremia tried to tell herself, reaching for the bird.

            Apparently, it was still alive.  It reached up with its enormous yellow beak to take a bite out of her hand.  Only then would it draw its final breath.

            Cremia screamed in pain.   She looked down to see crimson blood sprouting from her fingers, making a grand show.  With her uninjured right hand, the girl reached for her apron and ripped wildly at the fabric until a large hunk tore off.  This she used to wrap around her wound.

            Time had hardly passed before the makeshift bandage was dyed bright red.  Cremia, sure that the evil thing had finally passed, kicked the carcass of her prey three or four times.  "Dumb bird!  How am I supposed to do any work now?"

            After a while of ranting and raving, the ranch girl realized she should get back.  She slung the old bow over her quiver and grabbed the legs of her kill, dragging it along.  _I'll use his feathers to make better arrows_, she thought vengefully,_ and I'll kill his friends with them if he tastes any good!_

            Good tasting or bad, the bird was, apparently, quite heavy.  With each step Cremia took, her prize seemed to gain ten pounds or more.  At last she reached the ranch and threw the bird, the old bow, and the arrows into the barn and slammed the door shut.

            She was in the process of washing and re-bandaging her hand when there was a knock at the door.  _Not Romani already.  She promised she'd play with the chicks all day!_

            She opened the door for a surprise.

- - - 

            "Kafei!" breathed Cremia.

            He smiled at her, his crimson eyes sparkling.  "Hey there, Cremia."

            "What are you doing here?"

            "Nothing," he said, obviously lying.  There was a big grin on his face.  Suddenly, his eyes fell on her bloody and ripped apron.  "Goddess of Time!  Cremia, what happened?"

            Cremia's face went as red as the blood that stained her.

            "I-I had an accident," she admitted.

            "What?  Like with a knife?"

            "Yeah, guess so," she lied, holding up her bandaged hand for him to see.  "I was just cleaning it up…"

            "You okay?" he asked, taking a little step forward and looking down into her eyes.

            Cremia thought, _He's taller now!  He must have had a growth spurt after I left_…  She _had_ seen him just a few days ago, but, at that time, he had not been standing so close nor had his attention focused about her.

            "Cremia?"

            "Oh, yes, I'm fine," she said, blinking up at him with sapphire eyes.  "So, um, why are you here, Kafei?"  With a gesture of her hand she guided him indoors, so that they would no longer have to stand in the cold doorway.

            Kafei sat down next to her at the table.  "Well, I just heard that some tour or something opened up at the swamp."

            "The swamp?  The forest?"  She was already interested.

            "Yeah.  Some tour or something.  And you can take pictures!"

            "Huh?"

            "Have you ever heard of a picture box?"

            "Oh, oh yeah!"  She remembered even seeing one of them once.  "They're incredible!"

            "So, you want to go with me?"

            "What?  Right now?"

            "Whenever you're ready.  My dad is letting me have a break from studying.  He said I could be gone as long as a day or two!"

            "You mean, you want to stay with _me_—I mean, here at the ranch?"  Her heart was soaring.  Spending one-on-one time with Kafei?  _This better not be a dream!_

            "We might wanna pack lunch, though.  It is around lunchtime."

            "Oh, I could make us something.  But I should get ready first."

            "Yeah.  Hey, could I look around the ranch?" he asked.  "It seems pretty cool."

            She blushed.  "Do whatever you want.  I'll just go."  She scurried up the stairs.

            The first thing she did after shutting the door was to strip off all her clothes.  There was still some soapy water left over from that morning and, although it was frigid, Cremia scrubbed her entire body clean with it.

            She then scrambled to put on her finest under dress and a small, white day dress that had once belonged to her mother.  It had a slight hint of peach with tiny embroidered yellow flowers at the bottom.

            Next, she went to the dresser and brushed out her hair furiously.  She struggled with many hairstyles, but ended up with her locks pulled into a loose braid at her side, a few red strands fluffing out on either side.

            Slipping on her shoes, she flew down the steps and packed some fresh bread and cheeses into the woven picnic basket.  She even added two generous pieces of the cake she had baked the previous night.  Taking a deep breath, Cremia stepped out into the bright noon sunshine.

            Cremia looked about.  No Kafei.  "Kafei!" she called.  Her voice was not dull and depressed like it had been the last months, but bright and sing-songsy like it had been before.  She really was a rather cute girl, with a gentle giggle and a happy outlook.  Somewhere deep inside she was this, truly, and it took only special people to bring it out.

            "Kafei!" she called again, not wanting to run in case she might trip and dirty her skirt.

            "Cremia!" he called.  He ran from the other side of the ranch, teasing a few late season butterflies.  The boy slowed when he met her.  As he took in deep breaths, he said, "Ready?"

            "Certainly," she replied.  Then a thought stuck her.  "How are we going to get there?"

            "I dunno.  I walked here."

            "You _walked_ all the way?"

            "Yeah."  He was flattered that she was so impressed.  "It was nothing," he added boastfully.

            "We could take the wagon, but…  It will take a long time to get it set up."

            "No use in that then.  Besides, I like walking."  He grinned, showing shimmering white teeth.

            Cremia felt her heart melt.  "All right, let's walk then."  She went to his side, the basket hanging off of her left arm.  "Lead the way."

            And so they began walking, talking and giggling as most young people do.  Kafei seemed eager to find out about how Cremia had been and what she had been up to.  Cremia was a little embarrassed about her situation, and so tried not to say much.

            They crossed Termina Field.  Cremia thought that it looked a lot friendlier when she was with a friend.  Especially when that friend was Kafei.

            "What's the mayor's place like?" Cremia asked, trying to the subject off of her.

            "It's pretty big.  There's this office for Dad, and this weird parlor thing for Mom.  She has all these fancy people come and talk to her.  And then off of that is their bedroom and then mine.  I have this big comfy bed, and a big desk."  He made a face.  "I'm there _a lot_."

            "What kinds of stuff do you have to study?"  Cremia slipped her other arm under the handle of the picnic basket so she could use her hand to swing it a little back and forth.

            "My parents make me study lots about politics."  He reached down and picked up a stone with one swift movement of his hand, and, with another, threw it at a tree.  "I hate it!"  Cremia was a bit surprised by his strength.

            "You seemed to like your tutor though—that Goron."

            "Oh, yeah," he said.  "I like to learn and all.  But I like to learn about the world and history and everything.  I don't like laws and all that."  He crinkled up his nose and shook his head, as if he had a bad taste in his mouth.  

            "I wish I could have a chance to study."  She hung her head.  "I don't know much about anything, except milking cows and making bread—and I'm not good at those things either."

            He gasped, and Cremia worried he was mocking her.  But he wasn't.  He said quickly and excitedly, "But you get to live on that huge ranch!  Oh, and I bet you can see the stars and everything from there!"

            "From where?"

            "Well, I went behind your house and you have a ladder, right?  Do you go up on the roof?"

            "Yeah…"

            "Could I come and watch stars with you?"

            Cremia blushed, turning away a little.  "Of course.  Tonight, if you want to."

            And so they made plans as the reached the swamp.

            Cremia looked around, wide-eyed.  She smelled the damp air, heard the sounds of frogs' chirps, and felt the soggy earth beneath her.  "It's more than I ever dreamed!" she exclaimed, swirling about.  "The swamp…  The real swamp!"

            Kafei grabbed her arm and pulled her along, joining in her fervor.  "Come, let's go on the boat ride!"

            Cremia waited on the dock while he ran up and paid for the boat ride.  She could hear the sound of a squeaky old woman's voice and a deep one of a man, along with Kafei's (it was some where in the middle).  Kafei scurried down the ladder, smiling.  "Let's get in!"

            He helped her climb into the boat, sitting down across from her and pushing off.  "The current is supposed to take us," he explained, adjusting his legs so they fit around the picnic basket.  "Sorry it's a bit cramped…"

            Cremia smiled.  "It's okay."  It was more than okay.  She didn't mind her legs brushing against Kafei's at all.  It was rather cozy.

            "Here," Kafei announced, removing a large awkward box from beneath his arm.  He held it up and pushed some button, causing a bit of black smoke to come out the top and a bright flash to be omitted.

            "Did you take my picture?" Cremia asked nervously.

            "Yep!"

            Cremia ripped the box from his hands.  There was a small image of herself on one side.  "How can this work?"

            "It's magic," he explained.  "They're pretty rare."

            Cremia held it up.  "How do you work it?"

            "Just push that button right there…"  He reached up to show her.

            "This?"  She pressed it down.  In a moment, the image of Kafei with his arm up and a confused look on his face appeared.  

            "Ach!  You took one?"

            "It was an accident?"

            "Lemme see," he said, grabbing the picture box from her.  "Man, this is awful.  I look so weird."

            "I think you look kinda cute," Cremia said before she knew what she was saying.

            "Hmph.  If you like it so much, you can keep it," he told her.  "I still think I look weird."

            The boat caught the current at that moment, and the two passengers were thrown a bit to the side.  They passed through a darkened tunnel and emerged in the light.

            "Oh my goodness!" Cremia exclaimed when the true beauty of the swamp opened up before them.  It was purple and green everywhere, with Lilly pads and rocks and birds and all sorts of interesting creatures Cremia had not even read of before.

            Kafei turned around to look too.  "Wow," he muttered.  "It's better than last time…"

            Cremia heard a small rumbled and realized that it was Kafei's stomach.  She was happy to open up the picnic basket.  "Help yourself," she offered Kafei.

            He took out some food, first biting into a hunk of bread.  "Wow, this is the best bread!" he said after chewing on it thoughtfully.  "Did you make this?"

            "Yeah," she admitted, distracting herself with a piece.  "Hey, um, Kafei?"

            "Mmhm?" he asked, his mouth full with some cheese.

            She giggled at the silly look on his face, and quickly brought up the picture box to capture it forever.  He made a face at her, bread and cheese falling from his lips, and she took another photo, giggling harder.

            "Cremia!" he groaned.  "I have to pay for every picture, you know."

            She set down the camera.  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

            They were quiet for a while, admiring the scenery and eating their lunches.  They used napkins and wiped their mouths off before packing up the food into the basket and lying back to relax a little.

            "Hey, um, Kafei?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Can I ask you something?"

            "Sure."

            "Why…um…didn't you take Anju instead?"

            Kafei looked at her.  "I dunno.  She would be too scared of the animals and things, or of falling in."

            "Oh."

            "Anyway…  I'm glad I brought you, Cremia.  I had fun."

            "Me too."

- - - - - - 


	8. To Bed...

- - - - - - 

            "Oh!  The stew is about to bubble over!" shrieked Cremia, jumping to attend to the pot of food.

            Link blinked.  He had been getting so wrapped up in the tale that he had forgotten everything else.  And then, he heard his stomach growl with hunger and he realized hours had gone by.

            Cremia was waddling back over to the table.  With a great effort, she set the heavy pot of stew on the wood with a nice 'clunk'.  She went back to the fire and set her kettle on it for more tea.

            "Mm, it smells great," commented the hero, looking over the food in front of him.  He had not felt one pang of hunger before, but now, somehow, he was famished.

            Cremia fetched a short, fat loaf of hard bread from her pantry and set it on the table.  With one smooth motion, she sliced it in half, and, with a few more, she emptied them out and filled them with stew.

            Link took the plate that was handed to him and a spoon to begin feasting.  When Cremia was settled too, he asked, "So you went on that boat ride?  I did too, once."

            "Oh, yes, I still remember how beautiful it was!"  A thought struck her and she practically leapt from the table.  "I still have those pictures—"  She went for a box in the corner and began to rifle through it.  "Ah!"  She brought over a few papers for him.

            Link really had to chuckle to see a young Kafei giving him a puzzled expression through the picture.  Kafei was older than Link had seen him at in the hero's first adventures in Termina, and he also looked a great deal happier.

            "He was so cute back then," commented Cremia, who was looking over Link's shoulder.  She slowly walked around the table back to her seat, reflecting, "I haven't looked at those pictures for a long time…  Or thought about it or anything."

            Link did not know what to say.  It was already a sad tale, and the worst part was he knew how it turned out.  Cremia did not have a happy ending.  He wished that he were a better hero then.  That he could stop people's suffering and sadness.

            "Why do you look so sad, Link?" wondered Cremia, looking over at him with concerned sapphire pools.

            "I was just thinking," he admitted.

            "Then I suppose that proves you shouldn't think, then," Cremia announced, and then she let out a giggle.

            Link had to smile.  He hadn't heard Cremia giggle since he arrived, much less see her smile.  And he had not witnessed her eyes sparkle since the days of his boyhood.

            "Aren't I silly?" Cremia asked when her chuckles had faded off.  She began to pick up the various pots.  "It must be late!" the woman realized.

            "Oh, I guess so," Link agreed, stacking up his own dishes.  In the now silence, he could hear the ever-frightening wind grow louder and louder against the side of the house.  "Must be a bad blizzard."

            Cremia, who was pouring the remains of the stew into a pair or large jars, nodded, listening to the scream of the storm.  "Indeed."  She looked a bit scared, but covered it up.

            "We going to bed then?"

            Cremia could not help but blush, and image of the two of them beneath the same covers entering her mind.  _Cremia, you pervert!  Less than a year with no company and your mind is spoiled!_

            "Cremia?"

            "Oh, oh yes," Cremia said, placing the dirty dishes in the sink.  She would do them in the morning.  She was rather tired now.  "Um…  You can sleep in my bed, and I'll take Romani's."  It would be small for her, but she imagined that it would be worse for the tall hero.

            "Oh, I can sleep down here if you would like…"  He scratched his nose, probably trying to cover up his red cheeks.

            "It would be more comfortable in bed," she told him, stirring the remains of the fire.

            Link nodded.  "Okay," he said quietly, following the woman up the big stairs.  The only light upstairs was the small one of the candle Cremia carried.

            In the darkened room, they stumbled around a bit.  Cremia laid the extra comforters on her own bed, setting the candle on the nightstand.  "Can I put it out?" she asked.

            "Yeah, sure."

            They climbed in and out of clothes and sheets until they were tucked under the heavy quilts and shutting their eyes for a night of rest.  Cremia was tired from a long day of farm work, and Link as well, probably from traveling.  But, somehow, it was not really time to say goodnight yet and let the sandman claim them.

            "Cremia?"

            "Yes, Link?"  She turned over in bed so that she was on her side, facing him.

            "Uh…  Nevermind."

            "Nevermind?"

            "Yeah, nevermind."

            She wondered at the unsteadiness of his voice.  Her natural curiosity was aroused.  "What were you going to say?"

            "Nothing."

            "Tell me.  I'd like to know."

            "Nothing."

            "If it's nothing, then you can tell me."

            He gave a sigh that was more than sufficiently audible.  "Sometimes, you act like a little kid."

            "Hey, you're younger than me!  You have no right to say such things!" scolded Cremia.

            Link chuckled.  "I can just imagine the look on your face right now.  You must look so cute."

            Cremia's face went bright red, burning so hot she feared Link would spot it in the darkness.  "Good night, Mr. Hero!" she growled, pulling sheets over her head.

            They sat in silence for a while, Link chuckling to himself and Cremia brooding beneath the covers.  But then an extreme "BOOM!" sounded.

            "What was that?" screeched Cremia, unable to control her fear.

            "The wind is getting worse," Link explained.  He had been out on nights like this before.  This time he was lucky to be inside.

            Cremia had never been around when it was so bad.  She was terrified.  "Is the house going to fall down?" she wondered, accidentally saying it aloud.

            "It won't, don't worry," Link assured.  There was another gust, and this time it shook the house for a few minutes.

            Cremia threw her pale hands over her mouth, not wanting to scream but sure feeling like she could.  She had never told anyone, but her worst fear in the world was loud storms.  She could stand most things, but just the thought of the wind trying to blow her walls in…

            "Cremia, are you afraid?"

            "Just a little," she lied.

            "Me too."

            She was surprised.  "Really?"

            "Yep."

            "Actually," Cremia admitted slowly, "I am more than a little scared.  I'm really scared."  She gulped.  "I hate bad storms.  They…remind me of when the moon was falling."

            "Those were some scary times, weren't they?"

            Cremia could have let out a happy sigh.  Link was just being so incredibly comforting; it made her feel warm and happy outside.  This was a great feat with the storm brewing on the outside.

            In a way, it reminded her of Kafei.  He had always been so kind and considerate.  Link…  The little boy from ten years ago…  Now he was a man, her sole listener, her sole company.  It was strange, and yet incredibly wonderful to once again have a friend.

            "So," Link began.  "Maybe to keep your mind off of things, you have a bit more of your story to tell me?"

            "Sure."

- - - - - -


	9. Stars, Heartbreak, and Recovery

- - - - - -

            That night the two children climbed up the ladder behind the house.  Cremia went first since she was accustomed to scuttling around up there.

            "Pass me up the blankets," she asked of Kafei, and took the warm things from his hands when he obeyed.  She tossed them over a short peak of the roof and helped pull her companion up.  It was not long before they were each snuggling up in a quilt next the chimney.

            "It's nice out here," commented Kafei.

            "What are you talking about?  It's f-freezing," she got out through chattering teeth, tugging the blanket around her legs.  She leaned against the side of the chimney.  "At least the brick is warm."

            The boy made a sound of agreement, putting his feet against the brick and setting down the rest of himself on the roof so that he could look up at the sky.   "It's so pretty.  I love stars."

            Cremia cocked her little redhead up and observed the glittering lights.  There were hundreds upon hundreds of the specks above them, some red and others blue or golden or silver.  There were bright ones and a thousand times as many dim ones, but they were all beautiful.  It was truly wonderful, and the only thing more wondrous was that Cremia had never remembered noticing the spectacular sky before.

            "A shooting star!" cried Kafei.

            Excited, Cremia exclaimed, "Where?"

            "It's gone now, silly," he told her.

            Cremia was disappointed.  "Will there be another one?"

            "Dunno.  You just have to watch."  Kafei's eyes began scanning the flecks of light.  "Ah, look!  That's the constellation Bijan!"  He pointed wildly.  "He saved a princess from a wicked sea dragon!"

            "Huh?  What?"  Cremia was lost.

            "Look over there.  See that group of about, er, six—nah, seven bright stars over there?  That's Bijan."

            "It looks like a tree," commented the girl, wondering what he was talking about.

            "No!"  Kafei shook his head.  "He was a _Zora_."

            "Ooh, a real Zora?"

            "Well, it's just a myth."

            "A fairy tale?"

            "No, a myth.  It _could_ have happened," Kafei said, looking at her for a brief moment and then back at the stars.  "I studied myths a lot when I was working with Master."

            "Myth or not, it still looks like a bunch of stars to me."

            Kafei let out a little bit of an exasperated sigh.  "You have to use your imagination.  See, there's his fins and that's his head…"  He began making gestures at the sky, and Cremia finally began to see.

            Cremia's eyes wandered.  But then she saw a streak of light and almost jumped for joy.  "Goddess of Time!"

            "What?"

            "I just saw a shooting star!"

            "Where?"

            "Over there!  Near that line of blue stars!"

            "Ooh, that was in Armelle!"

            "Who is that?"

            "Armelle was Bijan's princess.  Hey, and you know what it means when you see a falling star near Armelle?"

            "Of course not.  What?"

            "She's crying for Bijan."

            Cremia was drawn in.  Eagerly, she prompted, "What happened to him?  I thought he saved her!"

            "Well, he did save her from the monster.  But then the monster came after him and killed him.  Armelle, who was hidden away in her castle, was devastated.  She went after the monster and got killed too."

            Her reaction completely surprised him.  "How romantic!"

            Dumbfounded, Kafei spat, "How _stupid_, you mean!  They both got knocked off!"

            Cremia was thoughtful.  "Oh, I wouldn't put it that way.  They sacrificed themselves for each other."

            Kafei made a face.  "But they died, and no one defeated the monster.  That was stupid."

            For some reason, the image of Anju and Kafei holding hands at the Laundry Pool flashed across Cremia's mind.  "Yeah, I guess they were stupid.  Fairy tales are dumb."  She sighed, burying her face in the folds of warm fabric.

            Kafei looked at her, concerned.  "Cremia, you okay?"

            "I'm fine," she lied, her voice muffled.

            "Hmm," he replied, glancing at the horizon.  "The moon's coming up."

            "Great," she told him, not really feeling one way or another about this event.  The moon came up every night.  What was the big deal?

            Cremia raised her head.  She was in a bad mood now, even though she should have been happy.  She was with the boy she cared for, wasn't she?  Alone with him on a romantic night, wasn't she?  Things would be perfect if his heart didn't belong to someone else.

            "Fairy tales are dumb," she said again.  "That one about Bijo and whoever is just as silly as this one Romani made me read to her, about some princess or something."  Cremia looked over the ranch, which grew lighter in the growing amount of moonlight each second and thought long and angrily.  "They always have a princess in them.  They aren't about normal people trying to get by."

            "I guess normal people like you and me aren't interesting," agreed Kafei with a wink.  "Anyway…"

            "Anyway?"

            He shrugged.  "I dunno."  He was silent for a while.  "I'm fine being a normal person.  Especially when I can just look up at the stars.  I'm fine with that."

            She didn't know what to say.  She looked down and said, "You're not so normal, Kafei.  You're the son of the mayor.  You're as close to a prince as Termina has."

            Kafei let out a long laugh.  "Prince?  Naaaahh!"

            And Cremia giggled too.  "I can just about see you in a crown and everything—haha!"

            Kafei looked at her thoughtfully, smiling to see her lean her head back and laugh.  He watched her for a while, until she finally noticed.  Their eyes met for a while, and then they both looked away hurriedly.

            Cremia scratched at her long, pointed ear.  Her thoughts were wildly whipping across her mind.  _Kafei…  How does he feel about me?  The way he looked at me…  Kafei…_  She would have given most anything to know his thoughts, especially at that moment.

            "Cremia—"

            "Kafei—" she started at the same time.  She bit her lip.  "Oh, 'scuse me."

            He nodded, looking again at the sky.  This time, his eyes followed a puffy gray-blue cloud drifting across the horizon.  "I, um, I…"  He coughed.  "I like it here.  Thank you for showing me such, er, hospitality."

            "No problem," she replied, pulling the folds of the blanket around her petite body as the same wind that pushed that cloud blew over them.  "It was nice for you to come."

            "I really wanted to find out how you were doing…" he murmured.

            "Hmm?"

            "I mean, when you were in town you looked so sad and upset.  I know you were just trying to cover up for Anju's sake, but, um," he said, pausing afterward.

            The girl nodded slowly, but the images trickled into her mind.  Anju standing right next to Kafei, Anju holding his hand…  Anju with her head on Kafei's shoulder…  

            "Cremia?  Cremia, what's the matter?"

            It seemed she'd been sulking for a while from the sound of Kafei's voice.  She looked up blankly, not able to push the image of Anju and him together out of her head.  "What is it?" snapped Cremia.

            Kafei backed up a little, startled and a little hurt by the sharpness of her voice.  "I was only worried about you," he grumbled.

            "I'm sorry, Kafei…  I'm going to bed."  She picked up her skirts and the blanket and climbed down and away, leaving him to observe the stars on his own.

 - - -

            "Romani go too?"

            "Romani go too," agreed Cremia, plucking her little sister off the ground and dropping her in the wagon.

            The ground beneath the big wheels was soft now that winter had come and gone, and the girl who directed the vehicle has a bit softer too.  She had spent the winter sewing and knitting, and had managed to sell a lot of her goods in town to make enough money to get by.  For food, she used store vegetables and killed birds and other creatures (which was certainly not easy, but it was better than having just meat flakes and no true meat at all).

            Cremia climbed up into the wagon.  Even though her heart still ached for Kafei, she had tried to push this part of her out and away.  With the way things had turned out, there was no way for the two of them to be together.  She would just be content spending time with her best friend and Kafei, as a friend.

            The cows had grown happier with the passing of the cold season, and, thus, were producing 'happier' milk.  It was the first delivery that Cremia was proud of.  She had six canisters in a tidy row, all laced up with thick rope.

            When the two girls and their cargo were all secure, the donkey started down the hill towards Milk Road.  Cremia looked back from the road for a minute to see how her hand-painted sign looked from a distance.  On a whim she had come up with what she would nickname Romani Ranch:  Village of Milk.  She put signs up a few places, and was very happy with how the letters had come out.

            "Village of Milk?" Romani had wondered.  "This isn't a village, sister!"

            "Yes it is," replied her sibling then.  "A big, beautiful village—of milk!  Where we sell Chateau Romani, the most desired of forbidden milk!"  And she had laughed and giggled and received many a strange look from her little sister.

            Now, they rode on, and Romani was chattering away happily.

            "Do you think Romani will get to go to the Carnival of Time, sister?" she was saying.

            "Where did you hear about that?"

            "When Romani went to town before, people talked about the Carnival!  Romani go, sister?"

            Cremia steered the wagon around a turn.  "Hmm…  I don't know.  Maybe."  She smiled at the girl, who was grinning in return.  Cremia adjusted her shawl as they passed through a gate.  "That wasn't there before…" she said aloud.  "They're building something here?"

            "Two men with funny faces!" chanted Romani.  "They nice to Romani—give her candy!"

            "Did Romani eat the candy?" Cremia inquired, a bit concerned.

            "Romani gave it to puppy!" giggled the child, getting a strangely amused look on her face.  "Puppy run everywhere!"

            "And you do know not to eat candy from strangers, right?"

            "Romani knows.  But you never told me not to give it to puppies!"

            "Yeah, I guess I didn't."  Cremia laughed.

            It was about lunchtime when they were unpacked and Mr. Barten was handing over bags overflowing with rupees to Cremia in front of the Latté.

            "This is the best milk I have seen in so long, Cremia!  My customers will be overjoyed," he said, handing her the last bag.  "Good day."

            "Good day, Mr. Barten, and thank you very much!" waved Cremia, pulling her sister away from the bar's door.

            "Bye-bye!" called Romani, waving her hand back and worth wildly.  When they were a fair distance away and her hand was tired, she asked, "Where we going now, sister?"

            "To the bank of course," replied Cremia as they trotted down the staircase to South Clock Town.  They passed the entrance to the Laundry Pool, and Cremia jerked her head away.  _You put that behind you, didn't you, Cremia?  Stop being so silly!_

            They walked on and up and down until they came to the bank, where Cremia deposited most of the money.

            "That makes 787 rupees," said the knee-tapping banker.  "Anything else?"

            "No thanks," replied Cremia happily.

            "Cremia!"

            She looked over.  "Anju?"

            Anju ran from her mother's side.  "Oh, I heard you were in town!"

            Cremia embraced her friend warmly.  It had been a while.  "You're looking much older, Anju," complimented the ranch girl honestly.

            "And you as well," replied her friend, looking her over.  "You look happier than last time, Cremia."

            Cremia was a bit surprised at Anju.  Was there color on her face?  Yes, red on her lips, pink on her cheeks…  And her hair was combed perfectly, curling up around the edges of her thin face.  The ranch girl shook it off as her friend's mother stepped up.

            "I'm heading back to help with lunch," said Anju's mother, walking past them at a steady pace.

            "Oh, let's go back and eat lunch together," Cremia said, clasping her hands together and smiling.  "We have so much to catch up on!"

            "Yay!" giggled Romani.  "Lunch lunch lunch!"

            "Oh…"  Anju looked away.  "I promised to meet Kafei.  We're going to the Astral Observatory for the day…"  She looked up, blushing a little.  "Sorry."

            "Don't you see Kafei every day?" Cremia asked slowly.

"Well, of course…  Most days anyway."  She made a little yip and covered her mouth with both hands.  "I'll be late!  It's past noon already!"  On her way up the ramp, she called, "Goodbye!"

            Cremia stood there in shock.  _Now he is more important to you, Anju?_

            "Sister?  Sister, what's wrong?" asked Romani a half dozen times.

            Cremia looked down at her.  "Nothing.  Nothing at all…"

- - - - - -


	10. Memories of Romani

- - - - - -

            It was cloudy out that afternoon as Cremia sat alone at the Laundry Pool.  She sat on the bridge, her shoes hovering just above the slightly chilly water.  Romani had been left in the care of Anju's parents, who seemed happy to look after the talkative and happy child.

            Cremia pointed her toe so that the slightest ripple flowed through the water.  It was so pretty, the clear blue water, even when the clouds rolled in and it no longer reflected the beautiful yellow sunshine.

            And she heard a noise and looked up.  She did not wish to greet this visitor, and put her attention back on the little ripples in the water.

            "Cremia?" Kafei asked, coming over to her.  There was a bit of relief in his voice, but this metamorphosed into confusion when he was ignored.  "I was looking for you."

            Cremia stared deeply into the water, witnessing a pure mirror.  There she was, looking forlorn.  If anyone else had been observing the ranch girl, they would surely call her beautiful, but assure that she would look much nicer had she been happy.  But Cremia was not quite sure what she was seeing.

            A small gust of wind, a cold breeze left over from the winter months, danced around and disturbed the water, contorting the surface with little waves that were no mirror at all.  Only then Cremia glanced up, but only a smidge.

            "What are you doing, reading the water?" Kafei joked.

            She snapped her head up and glared at them.  "What are you doing here?"

            "At last you notice me!" he whistled, taking a few steps over the bridge.  "I thought that I'd been turned invisible or something!"

            She did not find his jokes funny.  _This guy—what a jerk!  He steals Anju from me, he steals my heart!  Nothing but a dirty rotten thief!_

            "Cremia?"

            "Go away!" she shrieked.

            "I will not," he told her firmly, crossing his arms and knitting his eyebrows together.  "I've got as much right to be here as you or anybody."

            "Humph!"  Cremia plucked her feet from the pool's surface, turned, and hastily got to a stand.  "If you will not go, then I will!"  And then, as she started to leave, he grabbed onto her arm.

            "Cremia, what's the matter?  Why are you so—?"

            _Smack!_

            She took her hand down.  Shaking angrily, she cried, "Let me go!  You're nothing but a heartless _jerk_!  Don't try to be concerned for me!  All you and Anju care about is each other!"  And tears started to cascade from her sapphire eyes, but she didn't bother to hide them until she said what she really wanted to.  "I hate you, Kafei Dotour!  I hope I never, _ever_ see your rotten face again!"  The girl wrenched her arm free from his grasp and started to run again.

            This time, he caught both arms and shut her up with his own lips.

            Gasping, she slapped him again even harder and, at last, fled.

- - -

            "Why are you crying, sister?" asked Romani as they loaded their supplies back into the wagon.

            "Nothing," growled Cremia, securing the rope with an especially tight and angry knot.

            "Did Romani do something wrong, sister?"

            "No, no she didn't," Cremia said with the most assurance she could muster in her state.  "Climb in now."

            They sat in the front of the wagon.  Cremia ushered the donkey on, swearing inside her head over and over.  _That heartless jerk!  That's what he is!  How _dare_ he take my first kiss?  How dare he!  I hope he—I hope he dies!_

            And she regretted thinking this, somehow, maybe in the back of her mind, but she was so upset that it did not matter.  Kafei was awful!  Why was he always so nice to Cremia?  Why, oh why did he kiss her?

            _My only friend in the world is now lost to that two-timing…_  She scowled.  _I won't think about it anymore.  Today didn't happen.  Anju is still my best friend, and Kafei and her belong…belong…belong _together_…  And Kafei didn't kiss me; it was just a dream.  A stupid, stupid dream!  And the only things I'll ever worry about again are the ranch and Romani._

            Cremia reached around and groped for her shawl.  At last she found it and wrapped it around her chilly shoulders.  She felt cold all of a sudden, like a chill had shot through every part of her body and soul.  She was not so mad anymore; she couldn't allow it.  Cremia would be happy…  Forever and ever.

            The ranch girl changed subjects.  "Did you have a good supper, Romani?"

            "Yep yep!  Yummy yummy!"

            Cremia herself had not eaten since lunch, but was not famished in the least.  Anger, confusion, and every other emotion that pulsed in the girl's veins did not mix well with sustenance, and she might have lost her meal soon after trying to down it.

            Darkness was flooding the sky slowly as they reached home.  Cremia and Romani put their new supplies away and packed up the wagon quickly.

            "It's going to rain," predicted Cremia, sniffing the air.

            "How?" wondered Romani.

            "It smells like it of course," replied her sister.  "And it is good that it will rain.  The ground will be soft so we can plant the garden."

            "Flowers too?  Romani wants flowers!"

            "Flowers too," agreed Cremia.  "Big yellow ones!"

            "And white?  And pink?  Romani loves pink!" exclaimed the child, tugging at the other girl's sleeve.  She broke the hold and began to skip around in circles.  She made a face when a big, fat raindrop landed on her nose.  "You were right, sister…  It's raining!"

            And together they ran to the house, flung the door open, and hopped inside before the sheets of water touched them.  There was a rumble of thunder outside and the sky opened up, millions of little droplets of liquid pelting the roof and everything else within their reach.

            "S-Sister, I'm s-scared," stuttered Romani, covering her ears.  "It's loud!"

            "Indeed it is," agreed Cremia with a warm smile.  "But we're safe.  Don't worry."  She ruffled her sister's red hair affectionately.  An idea occurred to her.  "Hey, let's do something fun!"

            The girl was intrigued, taking her hands slowly down from her head.  "What?"

            "Well," began Cremia, walking towards the stove slowly.  "When I was little and I got scared of storms, Mama would always do something special with me."

            "Mama?"

            "Yes, Mama.  Our mama."

            "Really?"

            "Yes, _really_.  Now, what she would do was have me help her make a big, giant pie.  And when it was baking, she'd read me stories or tell me about when she was little."

            "I wanna pie and a story!"

            "Well, then we'll have one," Cremia told her.

            And they took out all the ingredients, placing them on the big table, and washed their hands in freshly pumped water.  Cremia, since she was much taller, retrieved bowls and utensils from the high shelves.  Romani fetched the aprons.  They were just about set.

            Cremia easily tied her own apron around herself, and then went to help her sister.  "Are you sure about this, Romani?  It's as big as you are!"

            "Romani is sure!" insisted the girl, walking around a little as half of the huge white apron dragged on the floor.  "Romani is all grown up!"

            "You just be careful with that.  It was Mama's."  Cremia looked down at the pale yellow apron she was wearing, and remembered when her mother sewed it.  _"Cremia, when you are a grown woman and in charge of your very own house, you will wear this."_  Cremia fingered the fabric as her mother's words filled her head.  The apron was still a bit loose, but she had tied it extra tightly.  _It fits perfectly_, she insisted to herself.

            "Romani wants to start!" chattered the child, using a chair to climb up on the table.  "Romani wants to stir!"

            "All right, all right," agreed Cremia, measuring out the flour into the largest wooden bowl.

            Romani took up the nearest spoon and attempted to beat it.

            "You can't mix yet, Romani.  It's just flour.  You need the water and oil first."

            Romani, who, in the meanwhile, had succeeded in sending bits of flour all over the table and herself, made a face.  "Add them, sister!" she commanded.

            "A little patience, please."  She snatched the bowl and spoon to herself.

            "Sorry."  Romani blushed, playing with the oversized garment.

            "It's fine."  Cremia added the water and the oil, and presented the bowl to her sister.  "Be careful not to spill anything."

            Romani grinned, showing all her teeth (well, she was missing a few, but all the ones she had).  She stuck the wood spoon in the middle and began furiously turning it round and round in the bowl.

            "Romani, you're spilling!"

            Romani slowed down marginally, but kept beating at it for a long while.

            "That's enough," announced Cremia, seizing the bowl from the girl's unwilling fingers.

            Romani looked like she would cry, but got over it as soon as Cremia was rolling the dough into a ball.  This was apparently more entertaining than throwing a tantrum.

            "Is it going to be a big pie, sister?"

            "Yes, a _huuuuugggee_ pie!  We can share some with everyone!"  She dusted the table with flour and began to roll out the ball of dough, pushing hard on it.

            "Hey, sister…  Tell me about Mama."

            "Mama…"  Cremia's thoughts drifted to her late mother.  "Well, she was very, very beautiful.  She had hair like yours and mine, but it seemed to have orange streaks in it when the sunlight hit it.  Her eyes were like that too.  They were this green color, but, when she was in the sun, they were all different colors, like some sort of flower…  Papa always liked to take Mama and me out on sunny days so that we could look at her hair and her eyes.  Mama said we were silly."

            Romani was gazing at her, trying to grasp at the image of their mother that Cremia could so clearly see.

            Cremia fetched the pie pan and pressed the crust into it, trimming off all the excess with a knife.  "Mama was always real gentle," she continued.  "Her voice was soft and sweet, and she never yelled.  And she loved the cows a lot.  She told me that, when she was little, she always wanted to have cows.  And she met Papa and he bought this ranch and named it after her."

            "Romani, right?" the girl prompted.

            "Yes."

            "Mama is Romani, the ranch is Romani, and Romani is Romani!"  She giggled.  "Romani-Romani-Romani!" she sang jubilantly.

            Cremia reached for the jar of fruit and twisted off the lid with a lot of effort.  She then poured in a generous amount of the mixed berries that she had collected.  They were the three kinds of berries that grew in wintertime, and were scarce.  But this was a special occasion, for the rain was still thundering down.

            "I love Mama," Romani said suddenly.

            Cremia looked at her for a long moment.  Romani had never known her mother.  They had only shared an hour of life.  Romani was born and her mother died so soon after…  It had been a day much like it was, with the dark clouds and the fierce rain…

            No, she wouldn't think about it now.  That was a long time ago.

- - -

            The storm was still ravaging the skies and the land after Romani was tucked in bed and Cremia was in her nightdress, sitting by the bedroom window.  Every few moments, lightning flared and sent eerie white light between the curtains to fill the room.  A rumble of thunder would follow from some distant place a while afterward, and that would be the only light and sound until another blast of lightning came.

            Cremia found one of her calloused fingers touching her lips.  She had pushed it out of her head for hours, but now she could no longer escape from the memory of her kiss.

            It had been quick, hasty, unexpected, and completely immoral—but it had been sweet.  The feel of Kafei's pursed lips pressing so hard on her mouth…  It had not been completely without pleasure.

            Kafei had been looking especially good.  He was approaching fourteen now.  He was taller and his body was filling out with muscle.  He was not the scrawny child he had been.  He was almost a man.

            _Cremia, I thought you'd decided to give up on this!_ one part of her mind screamed.

            _Yes…but I didn't know that he would kiss me…_ another part of her countered.

            A brilliant beam of light again bathed the room in its startling radiance, ripping the girl back to her senses.

            _You're an idiot, Cremia.  Kafei is just a two-timer.  He's probably kissed Anju a dozen times already!  You can't think about him like you are…  If you did love him, then it would hurt Anju._

            She gasped.

            _Love?  I thought…love?  No!  No!  I don't love Kafei!  I can't!  I'm…too young…!  And how could I even _think_ of loving him?  I just told him that I hated him!  And I do!  I hate him…!  I…hate…hate…  Kafei…  Today never happened.  Kafei…  I didn't tell you I hated you.  And you didn't…_couldn't_ have—You never kissed me!_

            Cremia stood and pulled the curtains shut abruptly.  She found her way to her bed and crawled under to experience the warmth of the quilts.  Her ears were met with the sweet sighs of her sister from the little girl's dreams.

            Cremia went to sleep after a while.  It was not too long because she had exhausted herself by being so upset.  "Goodnight, Romani," she whispered.  "Good night, Mama.  Good night, Papa…"

- - -

            _It was a beautiful sunshiny day.  The whole family—mother, father, older daughter, younger daughter—went out to the swamp to crowd into a boat for a ride._

_            "Ahh!  Mama!  Mama!" cried Romani, wrestling around in her mother's lap while pointing at the sky.  "I-It's a monster!"_

_            "It's just a bird, my little Romani," soothed the woman in her honey-coated voice.  She hugged her youngest child tightly, whispering, "There's nothing to fear."_

_            "I'm still s-scared," Romani stuttered, burying her face in her mother's golden dress._

_            "Don't be silly," scolded Cremia, thinking her sibling very silly.  She was seated on the floor of the boat, while her parents took either bench._

_            "Oh, she's only a little girl," the elder Romani said, her voice even sweeter than before.  She opened her mouth again, this time to sing.  It was a pretty song, but no one else could understand it.  The woman raised her head and sang to the whole swamp, her voice high and dainty, soothing everyone that was near._

_            Cremia let her eyes almost close, leaning back.  She felt the cool breeze on her face, and the strange scents of foreign plants tickling her nose.  But she sniffed and could also smell the rosy perfume her mother always wore and the earthy scent of her father._

_            Romani leaned back from her mother's chest, looking up at her with wide sapphire jewels.  Her two high pigtails wagged in the breeze, making her small, round, sweet face even cuter._

_            The girls' father was grinning, also hypnotized by his wife's song.  He leaned on one knee, gazing at her wistfully._

_            The woman finished her song and looked to see everyone's eyes upon her.  She blushed and looked down a little when she saw the expression on her husband's face._

_            "Mama, what were you singing?" asked Romani._

_            "It's a song of the Gorons, baby," she replied._

_            "You know Goron?"_

_            "Yes, a little.  My family used to live up in the mountains, and we often traded with the Gorons.  Once, there was an awful winter and our house was just not warm enough.  So my mother and father and my brothers stayed in a Goron cave.  And one of the women there taught me this song."_

_            "Is there a Terminan version?" asked Cremia, desperately seeking knowledge of the meaning of such a lovely tune._

_            "Yes…"_

_            "Sing, sing!" chanted Romani.  "Mama sings so pretty!"_

_            "Yes, please do, love," the man encouraged._

_            "Oh, all right," giggled his wife.  She adjusted the long braid of her long red locks, and began:_

_"O, My Love!_

_It was cold, and always cold_

_And I, always alone_

_But Hark!  Lo and behold!_

_Spring a'washes the land_

_A'washes caves with light_

_The flowers a'bloom_

_And soon, soon_

_It will be spring once more!_

_Journey back, my love_

_Come back, for me_

_For it is spring_

_And I await!"_

_- - -_

Cremia awoke then from her dream with a loud rumble of thunder as tears rained down her face.

- - - - - -


	11. Please Cheer Up

- - - - - -

            And she was crying now.  It was dark and the storm had calmed a little, and Link wasn't making any noises so she imagined he was asleep.  Cremia didn't want him to know that she was crying.  She had cried before in the telling of her tale, but she had hidden it.

            But the thoughts of that dream, a dream she had had many times throughout the years, swelled up in her heart and she could not help but be a bit louder with her sobs.

            She looked over and saw, to her great astonishment, a small, smoldering fireball of red and orange flames floating over toward her from the other bed.  It melted into the wick of the candle so that a small sphere of light spread and flickered about.

            "W-What was that?" wondered Cremia aloud.

            "Just a little trick I know," said Link, his toothy grin visible in the dim light.  The humor in his voice melted into concern.  "Are you all right?"

            "Oh," she gasped, realizing that he had been hearing her cry.  "I thought you were asleep."  She wiped at her eyes furiously.  "I'm sorry…  It's just that I was thinking about my mother…and everything."

            Link was quiet, but he felt horrible for her.  He climbed out of bed and went to go sit next to her.

            Cremia gasped a little, wondering what he was going to do.  But he just sat there and looked down at her gently, blue eyes wide, brimming with concern.

            "I'm sorry, Cremia.  You lost a lot," he told her quietly, reaching over to gently wipe tears away with a finger.  His hand moved to push some stray strands of wavy red away.  "Me, I never had much to begin with.  No family.  One friend.  But I lost her and everyone else I met…"  He shook his head.  "But I am a traveler, and I guess it is my destiny to be alone."

            Cremia noticed how warm his gentle hand was, and relished its touch on her face.  But his words were sad and it chilled her for such a sweet soul to be in deep sadness as Link was.

            "Destiny is cruel," he said softly, lifting his arm from her.

            She instinctively reached out to hold it down and press it to her features once more.  Then she realized what she had done and let him go, blushing terribly.

            Link chuckled softly and let his hand rest beside her ear, the back of it right against her soft cheek.

            Cremia gazed up at him.  Her heart was pounding within her chest.  What am I feeling? she wondered.  This same feeling…  She blinked slowly, and opened her lips to speak.  "Don't you decide to be a traveler?  Couldn't you stop if you wanted?  You talk of destiny as if is the Goddess's rule, as if it is set in stone.  But we make choices every day."

            He was thoughtful.  "We think we make choices, don't we?  But what if those choices we think we are so unique in making are, in reality, predetermined?"

            "If that is the truth, then the Gods are silly.  What is the point in watching a play if you know the end, and every line before?"  She whispered, as he did, even if there was no reason for it.  Perhaps they did not wish for the storm outside to discover them awake and attempt to scare them once more.

            "Then we are in control of everything?"

            "I didn't say that.  But you control yourself and what you do.  You decide how you are going to look at life, how you greet the day each dawn."  She remembered all that had happened to her in her years and bit her lip.  "We can't control our emotions.  At least I can't.  And we can't control what happens to others.  And we can't change what people feel and what they do."

            Link caressed the side of her face gently, and she snuggled up under the quilts and yawned a little.

            "Finally ready to go to sleep, hm?" he joked.

            "Yep," she told him drowsily.  "Sleep…"

            Link stood up slowly and pulled the blankets up to cover her.  He blew out the candle and climbed into the other bed.  He was tired himself, and had been for quite some time, but he hadn't wanted to just drift off while Cremia was suffering.  He might have been a bit ignorant in dealing with other people—especially women—but he wasn't heartless and had certain instincts on what was right and what was not.

            And so they finally went to sleep for a peaceful rest of the night.

- - -

            Link awoke slowly.  He had been having a rather odd but blissful dream, he knew, but now he could not remember a thing that happened in it.  Had there been a big cake?  Or was it a pie?

            He shook his longhaired head about, finally waking up.  He pulled the sheets down to reveal muscular legs covered only in tight white tights, and a loose under tunic.  Outside, even though the curtains were drawn, he guessed that it must be a cloudy morning.

            Link turned around in the bed and set his bare feet down on the floor.  It was strange to be awaking in an actual house and an actual bed; for many years he slept in the strangest of places, usually outdoors but, if he was lucky, a cave of some sort.  It had not been since his first journey to Termina that the hero had slept at an inn.

            He looked over to the other, smaller bed.  It was vacant, and already made perfectly.  Link pulled on his tunic and stumbled out the door in search for his hostess.

            She was not downstairs either, but a big fire was already blazing across the room.  The dishes from the night before were washed and put away.  Where had Cremia gone?

            His answer came quickly.  The door of the house suddenly came swinging in wildly, with a figure sailing in on a wave of snow.  She screeched a little at the wet stuff, using her feet, legs, and a small shovel to push it back outdoors.  Then she kept it out with the door, locking it tightly.

            Cremia sighed.  She unwrapped her old gray scarf and hung it up, along with her knit hat and heavy cloak.  She peeled off her thin work gloves and placed them gently on a table.

            "Good morning," Link said cautiously, wondering what sort of mood she would be in.

            "Oh," Cremia said, looking up.  Her ears, nose, and cheeks were all rosy, and her hair was disheveled, strands going this way and that across this red complexion.  Link thought it made her look rather cute.  "Good morning."

            "You're up early."

            "Heh, I was up two hours ago," she breathed, walking slowly over to the fire.  She sat down at the hearth, sticking her stocking feet and bare hands at the flames.  "I had to get the cows and chickens taken care of.  It wouldn't have taken so long without the five feet of snow!"

            "Five feet?"  He joined her.

            "I would guess.  I don't ever remember there being so much.  I've seen three and a half feet more than once—maybe four.  But it's gotta be more than that."  She looked at him.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't think you'd be up till long after now, so I still need to make breakfast.  I'll get you tea in a minute, just…"  She closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet smell of the crackling fire.

            "It's fine," he told her, feeling guilty for being a bit chilly before upstairs when she was plowing her way through the soggy snow outdoors.  After a while, Link whistled and told her, "You're a tough lady."

            Cremia grinned.  "Work is important.  And I couldn't not milk the cows and not give them hay and water, or not give seed to the chickens.  And I needed to get firewood or there would be no fire."  She stretched her neck and shoulders out, moving her head about in circles.  "But it's great to finally be inside again."

            "Here, I can make tea," Link offered.  "Just tell me where the stuff is."

            "All right," she agreed in her tiredness.  "The canister of leaves is on the right shelf, and you know how to pump water, right?  And the kettle is…over there…"  She leaned over and stretched out so that her body was about parallel to the flames, but curved into a slight crescent.

            Link fumbled around the kitchen area until he finally had some tea ready.  He presented her with the small, brown, round cup, setting it before her.

            "Oh, thank you," Cremia said, sitting up a little so that she could drink it.  She tasted it.  "Oh, my!" she exclaimed with pursed lips.

            "What?  What?  Is something wrong with it?"

            She blinked.  "No, nothing.  It's just a bit…potent."

            "Potent?"  Link tasted it, and had the same reaction.  "I'm sorry," he apologized shyly.  "It's awful!"

            "Oh, no," she told him, drinking more.  "I'm quite awake now."  She laughed, and he laughed too, and soon they were having a great time just sitting there before the fire, joking about the strong tea.

            Finally, Cremia got up, saying, "Think I'll make us some eggs."  And she did, and brought over two plates of them, sunny side up, along with a few pieces of toast, giving one helping to the man and keeping one for herself.

            When they were done eating and the dishes were kicked aside, Cremia asked, "Do you want to hear any more of my story?"

            "That would be great," he replied honestly, leaning back with his hands behind his shaggy blond-orange hair.

            "Anything specific you'd like to hear about?"  She curled up a little, tucking her feet beneath her.

            "Maybe about where Anju comes into all of this."

            "All right."

- - - - - -

_Author's Note(s):_

            -Well, you wanted to hear more about Anju!  Coming in the next chapter(s)! ^.^ 

            _-Sorry the present-day chapters (that is, the ones with Link) aren't longer, but I would get going on the romance and this story wouldn't be about Anju and Kafei anymore!  XD_


	12. Summer Visit

- - - - - -

            "What are you doing here?"

            "We're here to visit!" exclaimed Anju was a huge smile on her face.  She held out the woven basket on her arm.  "Here.  I've made you some pastries."

            Cremia slowly surveyed the two of them.  They just popped in on a visit?  In the middle of a day of work?  It was high summer and there were things to be done on the ranch.

            Kafei held out a piece of peach fabric.  On closer inspection, Cremia saw that it was fine silk with delicate embroidery of flowers along the edge.  "It's a handkerchief for you, Cremia."

            "That's too nice for me.  I can't take it."  She didn't want to take such a personal gift from him.  She also didn't want to be standing in the middle of the field with sweat dribbling down her dirty face, her hair messily slung in a crooked ponytail, and her body in a plain shirt and rolled up overalls.  Not when Anju stood there patiently in a light blue summer dress, with her hair graced with a big cream ribbon, and her skin sparkling clean and white gloves on her hands and everything else.

            "Oh."  His eyes' brightness faded away instantly, and his smile flattened out into a thin line.  "Please do."

            "He picked it out just for you, Cremia," Anju told her.  "He wanted to find something that would fit you."

            Cremia forced a laugh and a grin.  "Then he obviously doesn't know me very well!  Look at me!  Silk?  Handkerchiefs?  Do you really think that fits me?"  She gestured to her current state.

            "Well…I…"  Kafei sighed, looking quite sad.

            "Don't be so cruel, Cremia," Anju said, putting her gloved hand tenderly on Kafei's shoulder.

            Cremia could hardly control the disgust on her face.  Did Anju always baby Kafei like that?  She coughed.  "It's true, isn't it?  What's wrong with the truth?"

            Anju glanced at her friend, saying, "Cremia, why are you being so rude?  We came all this way to visit you, and even brought you gifts!  The least you can do is accept our kindness!"

            The ranch girl eyed her strangely.  What's wrong with Anju?  I've never heard her talk like this before!  What's going on here?  She gave an inward sigh.  "Fine, fine," she agreed finally, snatching the handkerchief and basket from the other two.  "We'll have lunch and…whatever.  Let's go back to the house."  She patted the side of the cow she had been attending to and started to lead it up to the barn.

            Kafei and Anju both hesitated before hurrying to catch up.  It was a short while before the cow was put near the house and the two other teens were seated inside, with Cremia getting them drinks.

            "Is water okay?  I'd make tea, but it'd be even hotter in here," Cremia added.

            "You don't have juice?" wondered Anju as she looked around the slightly sloppy interior.

            "On a ranch, it's water, tea, or milk."  Cremia realized that Anju had not visited Romani Ranch for years.

            "Oh, I would like milk then," Kafei said.

            "Water for me."  The city girl gently pulled off her gloves and set them on the table by her side.  "Where's Romani?"

            "Out playing with the dogs.  As usual," Cremia said, pouring each of them their drinks.  "I guess I'll go change so we can do something.  So think of what you want to do!" she called, disappearing into her room.  She threw off her dirty clothes into a pile, for she would need them when her company left.

            Cremia scrubbed herself clean and put on a white tunic and purple skirt over it, and brushed out her hair so that it hung down her back.  Anju said I was being rude.  But isn't it rude to show up unannounced when I'm in the middle of working?  And to throw a party for them?  She sighed.  _I don't even know what I'm supposed to do…_

            Kafei and Anju were sitting together, whispering amongst themselves quietly when Cremia came tromping down the stairs.  They shut up as soon as they noticed her, making the ranch girl uneasy.

            "So, what now?" she asked, keeping distance between her and the other two.  "What did you guys have in mind to do?"

            "Well…"

            "What, Anju?" she prompted, slightly annoyed.

            "I just thought that we could…you know…for us to talk and everything like we always did," she said, a bit defensively.  She stood up straighter and stared across the room at her friend.

            The tenseness of the room was thick enough to slice with a knife.  Well, make that a sword.  It might have been more useful for that atmosphere.

            "Let's go in the shade outside and have some pastries," suggested Kafei.  He plucked up the cup from Anju and placed it in his own and set it in the sink.  "That all right, Cremia?"

            She melted.  Kafei was being sweet to her again!  "Uh, uh…sure, Kafei."  _Goddess!  I'm acting like Anju…_ she thought as they went outside and ventured beneath the bows of a lush green tree.

            "Here," said Anju, taking out the pastries and placing them on napkins, distributing some to each person.

            Cremia tucked her feet under herself and took the treat graciously.  She bit into it.  "Delicious, Anju."

            The girl giggled.  "Thank you, Cremia."  She licked some frosting from her own lips.

            Kafei leaned back against the thick trunk of the tree.  "It's so nice here," he said wistfully.  The breeze played with his hair, pushing it this way and that across his pale features.

            Cremia watched him, thinking this made him look rather handsome.  But at the same time, things were feeling like they used to.  They were sitting around enjoying the summer day, even when there was work to be done and emotional conflicts to be had.

            "Oh!  Romani!" cried Anju, pointing.  She set down her snack.  "Could I go play with her, Cremia?"

            The ranch girl laughed.  "Of course!"

            Anju grinned.  She climbed up and ran across the sunny field to meet the small child, the ribbons on her hair and dress flapping wildly.  She knelt down and began to converse with Romani.

            Cremia finished eating and wiped her mouth, tucking the napkin back into the basket.

            "Hey, Cremia…"

            She looked over at him.  Her heart was racing wildly.  _What is he going to say?  What am I supposed to say?     _Kafei cleared his throat.  "Um, ah…  Well…  About the other day…"

            "Hmm?  Other day?"  _Maybe…  Maybe I can…_

His red eyes widened a little.  "You know.  Um, at the Laundry Pool…"

            "Did I go to the Laundry Pool?"  She put a thoughtful finger on her chin.  "I remember Romani talking about her supper…and…  What else, Kafei?"

            The boy paused.  "You seriously don't remember?"

            "Remember what?"

            "What _happened_.  You know…"

            She blinked.  "No, I don't.  What are you—?"

            "Oh, I give it up!" he exclaimed, standing.  "I'm gonna go mess around with them for a minute, okay?"  He said it like she was definitely _not_ to follow.

            _Kafei, isn't it better this way?_ she thought as she watched his retreating figure._  I mean…for you and Anju…  _He was plucking Romani off the ground and swirling her about, and both her and Anju were giggling.  _And me, too, Kafei?  Is it better for me…?_

- - -

            "Ah, this tea is nice," Anju commented quietly.  They were sitting outdoors sipping warm tea, for the sun was dipping towards the horizon and it was cool enough to enjoy a heated beverage.

            Cremia made a quiet murmur of agreement.  She liked to be sitting there with her best friend as the late breeze played with their hair and skirts, as they watched Kafei carry Romani around on his shoulders.

            "They're so silly," giggled Anju, hiding her open mouth with one hand to be polite.

            Romani was busily pulling at Kafei's long hair, and his calls for mercy reached the other girls' ears.

            "That's my sister," said Cremia.  "If it wasn't Kafei, she'd be attempting the same thing with one of the dogs."

            "You're not comparing Kafei to a dog, now are you?"

            "Um…no."  Cremia grinned.

            "Ha ha!  I suppose I shouldn't tell Kafei then."  Cremia was glad to see that Anju was smiling and laughing.  The city girl leaned back a little, saying, "Kafei was right.  It's nice to get out to the ranch and spend some time away from the city."

            "Hey, Anju?"

            "Yes?"

            "How are things going with you anyway?"

            Anju was thoughtful.  "Fairly well.  I mean…there's the problems with my father…but…"

            "What?"

            She shook her head.  "I don't really want to talk about it.  Anyway…"  Her sad expression curled up into a smile.  "I am happy."  Her eyes were on Kafei as she said this.

            "How do you feel about Kafei?" Cremia inquired softly.

            "I love him," she replied without hesitation, not noticing the shock on Cremia's features.  "Everything about him.  How he talks to me, the places he takes me…  How he looks after me…"

            "Looks after?"

            She had a very dreamy expression on her face.  "Kafei…he is concerned for me.  When I am sad he wipes my tears…  When I am happy he makes me smile even bigger…"

            Cremia fumbled around with her lips.  Finally, she got the nerve to ask.  "Have you…done anything with him?"

            Anju shot her a confused look.  "Like what?"

            "Um…like…um…er, that is…like…kissing?"

            "You're blushing, Cremia," her friend said.  But she folded her hands in her lap and set her eyes back on the boy.  "Every night we're out I give him a kiss on the cheek.  And, sometimes, we hold hands."  Her cheeks went pink.

            Cremia was puzzled.  _He kissed me, but not Anju?  I don't get it…_

            Anju, in the meanwhile, was continuing.  "I do love Kafei.  He talks to me like I'm the most important thing in the world…"  She rested her face on her hands.  "Someday, I want to marry him…"  She was blushing but she didn't seem to mind, what with flying around in her fantasies and all.

            "What do you guys talk about?"

            Anju pondered.  "Well, lots of things.  Sometimes he tells me about what he's studying, but he usually doesn't like to.  And about his plans for the future and everything.  And he also likes to talk about you, Cremia."

            "Eh, _what_?"

            Anju smiled.  "I think he respects you a lot.  He says that you're independent—"

            "Oh," interrupted the ranch girl.  _I don't want to hear any more.  Kafei, you two-timer!  You better not like me, or I'll…  I'll…  I don't know…  But if you are going to hurt Anju, I'll never forgive you!_

            Anju tilted her head to inspect her friend's emotions more closely.  "Eh…?"

            "What?"

            "What are you thinking, Cremia?"

            "N-Nothing."

            "You can't hide from me!  I know you!"

            Cremia looked away so that the worry and red of her face was not visible.  "You're being ridiculous!  What would I be thinking?"

            "Maybe _you_ like someone too, hmm?"  She sighed when the ranch girl replied only with silence.  "Anyway," she said strongly, switching topics.  "Kafei worries for you.  He asks if I have news of you."

            "Oh, does he?"  Cremia was doing her best to act like it did not matter to her, when, in reality, it was making her heart thump and her body temperature climb and descend over and over.

            "I'm sorry if I snapped at you earlier, Cremia.  But that scarf, you know?  He looked and looked and tried really hard to find something you would like.  It must've hurt his feelings," she added somberly.

            _Well_, Cremia thought, _my feelings are hurt too._

- - - - - -


	13. Love and Pain

- - - - - -

            Cremia was in shock.

            "Ka…Kafei, wh-what did you just say?" she asked as he backed away from her.

            "N-Nothing," he told her, withdrawing quickly as color spread across his usually pale cheeks.

            _He's lying_, Cremia knew, for she had heard him say it as he leaned over toward her.  Had heard him whisper in a low voice, barely audible, "I love you."

            "Oh, are we going now, Kafei?" Anju asked as she approached them.  They were standing at the gate of Clock Town nearest the ranch.  Cremia had driven her friends home on the wagon after they had spent the day and night with her.

            "Yes," Kafei said, taking Anju's hand and backing slowly into the shadowy passage.  "Thank you, Cremia."

            "Oh, yes!  See you later!"  Anju waved happily and spun Kafei around so they both went head first into town.

            Just as they disappeared into the darkness, the boy looked around and stared deeply toward Cremia.

            "Sis-i-ter," chanted Romani from the wagon.  "Let's go home now!"

            "Yes," Cremia said slowly.  She blinked and finally was able to look away from where Kafei had just been.

            They set off and were back at the ranch by the middle of the morning.  Cremia was soon working again, twice as hard to make up for the lost day and, also, to try to push thoughts away.

            I love you.  I love you.  I love you.

            The words ran through her mind a thousand times.  He had said that he loved her.  She had been quicker before to throw away her feelings for Kafei.  But now he had shown that he returned these feelings.

            _No, no!  This is wrong!  I can't be with Kafei!_

            At the same time, however, a part of her was daydreaming about how nice it would be.  How nice it would be to be the one who held his hand and leaned on his shoulder.  How nice it would be to be the one who kissed him goodnight.  The one he told his dreams to, the one he saw every day, the one he wanted to be with…

            "I love you," she murmured distantly.

            "_Moooooooo_," replied the cow she was brushing.

            Cremia jumped a little, but she giggled out of nervousness.  "Ha, Kafei has never said _that_ to me before," she whispered to the big animal, finishing grooming it.  She pushed it toward a nice clump of grasses.  "There's your breakfast."

            Romani came skipping over.  "R-o-m-a-n-i!  Romani Romani Romaniiiii!" sang the girl.  She halted and quirked an eyebrow.  "What's wrong, sister?"

            "Nothing.  I'm just a bit…confused," admitted the older girl.

            "What's confusing?  Does Ro-man-iii need to tell you how to brush a cow, sister?"

            "It isn't anything like that."

            Romani was puzzled.  "What then, sister?"

            "It's, er, rather difficult to explain."

            "Romani is smart," was the girl's reply.

            "When you're older."

            "Romani wants to know now!"

            "Romani can be patient."

            "Know now!"

            "Romani, we have to get back to work."  Cremia left her sister with that.

            "Sister!" cried the girl after her.

            Cremia disappeared into the barn.

- - -

            "_…the boy yelled to her, but she could not hear his cries; he was inside a blue prism that was returning him to his own time.  He pounded his fists against the crystal, but it was to no avail.  The magic of the Ocarina's songs took him up and away._

"_As she played the melody, the princess had begun to weep.  When the boy, her and her land's hero, was gone, she knelt down and sobbed with all of heart.  The boy was the one she loved, but she knew that it was wrong to be with him.  It pained her to think that he loved her too, and that he might be suffering under as much pain as she was._

"_Whatever the princess's feelings might have been, she was sure that she had done the right thing for the hero.  She descended the steps back to Hyrule to begin a new life for her world.  Her only wish that was somewhere in another dimension, somehow, the boy she had sent back would be with another one of herself.  The end._"

            Romani was propped up on her elbows, which were on her knees.  Her blue eyes were wide.  "That's all?"

            "Yes, that's how the story ends, Romani."  Cremia shut the big, old storybook and set it aside.

            Romani was thoughtful.  "I thought endings to stories were supposed to be happy."

            "It is happy," insisted Cremia.  "The hero gets to go back and relive his lost childhood."

            "But the princess loved him!  She was lonely every _day_ then!"

            "Romani, she did something to help him."

            "But what if he was lonely, too?"

            "I'm sure he had someone else that loved him, and that they would be happy together."

            "But what about the princess?"

            "She'll make it."

            "But she'll be _saaaaaaadddd_, sister," Romani said, sniffling.  "I don't like the end of the story!  I thought they were gonna get married!"

            "Romani, go to bed."

            "Fine," she grunted, climbing under the sheets.

            Cremia blew the candle out and disappeared into her own bed, relishing the warmth of the quilts.  Soon, Romani's snores met her ears.  Cremia was glad for this; she did not want to have any more of that conversation with her sister.

            _Kafei_, she thought, turning over to face the moonlit wall.  _You kissed me, you said you loved me!  If things were different, I would be so happy, I would cry and I would hold you and never let you go.  But…  It feels wrong.  You said you loved me, but you lie.  You're joking.  You can't love me and Anju at the same time.  You must love Anju, not me.  Please, Kafei…_

            Her eyelids fluttered close, and she was content to dream of what might have been if circumstances were slightly changed.  If she could be with the one she loved.

- - -

            "Kafei, I have something I must talk to you about."

            He shot her a puzzled look.  There was much intrigue in his crimson eyes.  "Why are you being so formal, Cremia?"

            "Just come with me, all right?"

            "All right."  He went to her side and followed the girl to the Laundry Pool, where they sat on the bridge and stared deeply into the water.

            After there was much silence to be had, for there was much thinking by Cremia and wonderment for Kafei, the girl spoke.

            "Today, I am fifteen years old," she began.

            "And I am sixteen—but I don't see what this has to do with anything," he added quickly, shaking his head.

            Cremia gazed at him.  Kafei was a fine man now.  He did not look sixteen—more like nineteen or twenty.  He even had the tracings of a beard and moustache on the lower part of his face.  His arms and legs were muscular, his shirt tight against his skin to reveal the fine lines of a man's chest and back.

            "I said, what does this have to do with anything?" he prompted, letting his feet scrape the water's shimmering surface.

            "This is where it all started, isn't it?" Cremia mumbled softly, looking at her reflection.  "Where we met you…  Where everything started."

            "You aren't making sense," muttered Kafei, shaking his head back and forth and throwing strings of purple around.  "Of course we met here, and _of course_ you're fifteen."  He sighed.  "You avoid me for years and now you decide to have this odd conversation?  What's the matter?"

            "Nothing's the matter," she said, telling herself this was the truth.  She had been avoiding him since he told her he loved her, fearing it might slip that she loved him too.

            "Then what is this all about?  I deserve to know, don't I?"

            "And I'll tell you," she told him.  Cremia took in and let out a deep breath.  "Kafei…once, you said that you loved me."

            "So you did hear!" he exclaimed, his foot dropping down into the water to moisten it and the surrounding ten feet radius.

            "_Kafei_," she groaned, squeezing out her skirts.  "Now it'll be wet for the party."

            "I'm sorry!" he told her.  "It's just that I've be wondering ever since if you heard me or not—"

            "I did hear you, all right?"  She stared down at the bank of the stream, away from him.  Out of the corner of her sapphire eye, she watched his changing expressions in the settling water.  She couldn't read what he felt at all.

            "Cremia…"

            She built up the courage to turn to him, keeping her eyes on his nose and, most definitely, not his intent eyes.  "You still don't feel that way, do you?"

            "Cremia, is it possible you feel—?"

            "I didn't say that," she interrupted, trying to control the heat of her cheeks.  "Just…tell me."

            "I will if you promise to tell me your feelings."

            Cremia bit her tongue.  "I…I…"

            "Cremia?"

            "I promise!" she cried out of desperation to know.

            "I still love you."

            Cremia jerked her head away quickly.

            "Cremia, you promised.  A promise _is_ a promise."

            "I…I…I can't say," she breathed quietly, her eyes shut tight and her heart racing.

            His arms wrapped themselves around her slim frame, clutching at her desperately in a sudden embrace.  "Then I know your answer," he told her firmly and quietly.  "You do love me."

            She fought him, but not wholeheartedly.  She turned her head around enough to try and give him a look, but ended up receiving a long and sensual kiss.

            "Let go!" she moaned, pulling off his arms.  But they slunk back around her, pulling her tightly against him.

            "I will not!  You love me, right?  And I love you!"  With all of her struggling, though, he finally released her from his grasp.  "Cremia…"

            She faced away from him, not wanting to advertise her tears for his inspection.  "Kafei, if you love me, then how do you feel about Anju?"

            He paused for a long while.  "I care about her a lot, too."

            "Would you say…"  Her voice choked up and she took a moment to shake it off.  "Would you say…you love her?"

            "I…suppose I do.  But—"

            "Do you have any clue how Anju feels about you, Kafei?  You are her star, her sun, her moon—you are what makes the day begin.  She thinks of you all the time, wanting to make you happy.  Even when her father…well, you know…  She still wanted you to have a special dinner for your birthday more than she seemed to bother about her father!  She won't see me for weeks, but, when she finally does, she only asks me what she can do to help you."

            "I know that she cares for me, but—"

            "You don't know what a girl's heart is like at all, Kafei Dotour!  _Cares for_?  She loves you!  More than life itself or anything!  And you—you _dare_ to say you love her?"

            "I do love her!"

            Cremia felt her heart sag a thousand feet.  "Then why not be with her?"

            "Because I love you too!"

            "You cannot love us both!" Cremia cried, standing up to feel more empowered.  She still kept her tearstained eyes away from him, however.

            "I know I must choose, and I choose—"

            She stopped him once more, not wishing for either answer he could give.  "Kafei, know this:  I can't love you with all of myself like Anju does.  I must run the ranch and take care of Romani."

            "But I could be with you on the ranch!  I don't care!"

            "You would grow bored with it.  You want a life of the city, with adventure.  I can't give you that."

            He took a few steps to her to close the gap between them, his head hovering over her shoulder.  Quietly, he said into her ear, "And I still choose you, Cremia."

            Her heart shattered.  "Kafei…"

            "I love you.  I'll do anything for you."

            _I can't do this_, she thought wildly as the world spun around her.  "A-Anything, Kafei?"

            "Anything."

            "Do you promise me?"

            "I promise you with all that I am.  I swear it on—on the moon!"

            Cremia wiped her eyes and straightened her bangs.  She rotated herself so that she was looking right at him, daring to meet his gaze this time.  "Then I wish for you to love Anju instead and choose her in my place, for I cannot be chosen.  I wish for you to be madly in love with her and worship the ground she walks on, and for you to nurture her.  Always."

            He opened his mouth to speak, but she forced it close with a single finger.

            "Marry her during the Carnival of Time, and make her happy.  And never speak of loving me again, for it is my wish that we both forget it."

            "Cremia!" Kafei exclaimed, pulling down her hand so that he could speak freely.  "I cannot follow such wishes!"

            "A promise is a promise," she told him forcefully, throwing his own words back.  "Now," she switched subjects, gesturing toward the exit with one hand, "go meet Anju at the party and tell her you love her, for I know that you do."

            "What about you, Cremia?"  Worry and confusion knitted his brows into one, and he looked exasperated, puzzled, depressed, and upset all at the same time.  But he was always gentle with Cremia and would not raise his voice at her.  He would obey his promise, for it had been his folly.

            "I'll catch up," she replied, knowing she would require some solitude to cry and sort things out in her head.

            He walked past her over the bridge, but turned when his feet met the grass.  "What is this, now, Cremia?  Goodbye?"

            She forced her tears to wait a bit longer.  "No…  Just one short parting for friends."

- - - - - -


	14. Epilogue

- - - - - -

            Link's two strong arms, the arms of a hero, were holding Cremia.  He smoothed her hair as her body shook with each painful sob.  He wiped the tears as they came pouring out.  He listened to her babble on indistinguishable words.

            "It's all right, it's all right," he told her, rocking her slowly back and forth.

            She leaned hard against him, resting her head on his shoulder and clutching at his back with both hands.  "Kafei, Kafei," she mumbled into Link's chest.  _The pain that I put behind me…  Why is it back now?_

            Link used one set of fingers to hold her chin and force her face to be parallel to his so that they could look into one another's eyes.  Link's were full of concern and helplessness; Cremia's full of pain.

            "I'm sorry," she apologized when she had calmed down a bit.  She took back her hands from around him and wiped urgently at her face.  "I must look a fright," she scoffed.

            "I don't think so," he answered.  "You're always beautiful."

            She blinked at him.  "Link?"

            He leaned over and pressed his lips on her cheek, not minding the salt left over from her tears.  "Don't cry," he whispered into her long, pointed ear.  "Please, don't be sad."

            She felt the heat and moisture of his breath on her skin and tingled all over.  "I am terribly sorry.  I thought I put everything behind me when they were married, but I guess I was wrong.  It hurt so much, Link, to push him away as I did."

            "Then why did you do it?"

            His deep voice sank through her to her heart and lifted it, somehow.  "It was the right thing to do," Cremia told him.

            "You loved him for years and gave him up, even though he loved you too?" mused the hero, not being mocking but, rather, thoughtful.

            "I guess it sounds pretty pathetic, huh?"  She sniffled.

            "Not really," he assured her.  "Believe me, I have many tales of my own."

            Cremia wrapped her fingers around the side of his face, holding it gently.  "Really?  I think that I would like to hear them."

            "They will take a long time to tell.  Perhaps forever," he said, pressing against her hand.

            "It's your lucky day.  I just happen to have forever available right now."

_The End._


	15. Author's Notes

Author's Notes

First off, I would like to really, really just thank everyone who saw this story through.  It was one of my quicker ones to write, even though it was 75 pages @_@  (1.5 spacing, though!)

The idea for the story I had when I first saw the part where Romani tells of her sister's love for a boy in town who is getting _married_, and I realized that there was something going on there with everyone's feelings ^.^`

I decided to use the premise of her telling it to Link because it was fun to insert random chapters that where outside of the time line (and I admit skipped around a lot—sorry!), and also so I could add some about Link's own angst.

I wasn't originally going to have Kafei love Cremia, but it worked out _much_ better that way.  Thank you whoever commented about how it wasn't really a triangle.  I guess it was kind of a triangle, only with Kafei liking both of 'em.

Ach, and don't think Kafei doesn't truly love Anju.  They're like the ultimate MM couple so there's no way they couldn't!

Thank you ALL for you comments, they helped me with ideas and stuffs.  This story couldn't have been written (and obviously read, hehe) without you guys.

Thank you VERY VERY MUCH!!!!!

Domo arigatou gozimasu!

Firefly


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